They Can Date Each Other
by JMolover13
Summary: Prequel to "If They Can't Have Each Other Then They Will Never Be Happy". The 17 dates leading up to the drama that was the first story. This one is quite fluffy.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, here is the first installment of the prequel to "If They Can't Have Each Other They Will Never Be Happy." Aside from this first chapter, it will strictly deal with the seventeen dates that happened before Henry took their lives over. Also, since the kid is so prominent in the original and this one is strictly dates (for the most part), Henry will make sparse appearances, but will mainly only be mentioned, so for the sake of everyone's mind, let's just assume he's with Grams and Gramps or at home doing homework. And I know I mention Nealfire once in this first chapter; I don't really know where he went beyond that, but I like to think that he only comes for vacations (which is why he wasn't in the original… sort of)… And just one more thing for this story. It's actually pretty fluffy, so the two of them are not going to be as true to their characters as I tried to make them for the original story. Regina is as fluffy as can be, and Emma is her fluffed up savior…**

***For the sequel I am writing, I am actually dealing with the big family, but I will warn you that it will turn into an Ellie-centric piece… and this eleven years after the epilogue. I will be happy to write another installment that will go before that time and will deal with the kids when they are kids… Just let me know via review or PM or my ask over on Tumblr!**

**Thanks, and hope you enjoy!**

Ruby had been watching Emma the last few weeks. She'd been acting strange. Like she had a secret and she was just barely keeping it in. She wanted to know what that secret was. So, she walked over to the station with an extra large cup of hot cocoa and set it down in front of the already suspicious blonde.

"What's this?" Emma took the cup despite knowing it was some sort of bribe or ruse, and took a large gulp from it.

Ruby smirked as she took off her gloves and coat before, "Everything alright sheriff?"

"Fine, thanks…" The blonde eyed the brunette, "Why do you ask?"

"Just checking in… I'd hate for the good sheriff of Storybrooke and the savior of us fairytale beings to be anything but happy…"

"Well." Emma looked down at the paper travel mug, "I'm not unhappy…"

"I believe that. But, what would make you happy?"

Emma bit her lip, still staring at the hole in the lid, "I don't know…"

"Are you sure you don't know, or you just don't want to tell me?" Ruby had a smirk when she saw the reaction of her best friend. "I'm going to tell you what I think you need—"

Emma laughed as she interrupted, "I'm sure you will."

"I think you need sex. Not just regular sex. I think you need love. I think you need to make love to a hot and sexy and fiery newly reinstated mayor because she is the only person in this town—including your ex and baby daddy—that has ever ruffled your feathers so to speak… and lesbi-honest… She ruffles them way more than he ever did."

"Okay." Emma put her hand out and closed her eyes like there was so many things wrong with what Ruby just said, but she could only focus on one, "Ruffles my feathers?"

"Well Emma you are a _swan,_ are you not?"

The blonde rolled her eyes at the now punny statement, "I guess so…"

"Well, did you know that swans mate for life?"

"I did not…"

"And I think that you were not really in love with Nealfire."

"I wasn't…"

"But I do think… the way I see you staring at her and the way you've always stared at her that you are falling or possibly have fallen completely in love."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Maybe now you'll go get what you need to be happy…" Ruby smiled and stood. She walked to the door of the main office then called over her shoulder, "Think about it. That's all I ask."

Emma knit her brows as the brunette left. She always told herself that she would hide her feelings for Regina as long as possible, but the moment someone called her on it, she would do something about it. She stood, moved to the window and gulped down her cocoa as she watched the waitress cross the street back to the diner. After Ruby was back inside, she waited precisely five more minutes before walking out of the station and getting into the cruiser to 'make her rounds'.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma saw Regina's car at Town Hall and swerved into the lot. She stalked into the office to find the woman listening to music. "Regina!"

Regina turned with barely wet eyes and held her hand up to stop Emma from talking, "Please. Not now."

The words of the song began flooding the silent room, "When you came to me with your bad dreams and your fears it was easy to see you'd been crying. It seems like everywhere you turn, catastrophe it reigns, but who really profits from the dying."

They held their stare through the rest of the song, and when the next song, Adele's "Someone Like You," came on, Emma dared moving into the room more after Regina took a seat in her office chair and turned around. When the third song, "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz came on, Emma didn't have the heart to interrupt. She only came in a little more and observed the brunette at this awesome vulnerable state she was in, and she was completely awed.

Emma sat down and listened to songs 4 through 10 unbeknownst to the mayor: "You're My Favorite" Jason Jones, "Wanted" Hunter Hayes, "So Close" Jon McLaughlin, "Longing For" Ballas Hough Band, "Man Who Can't Be Moved" The Script, "Just Let Go" Mae, and "Collide" Howie Day.

Once the playlist ended, Regina turned around surprised that the blonde was still there, "Sheriff Swan, what are you still doing here?"

Emma cautiously stood from her seat, walked around the desk and knelt before the woman. She didn't touch her yet, "Those songs seem to talk of one thing…"

"Yes. Why are you here?"

"Do you want that one thing?"

Regina turned from the blonde.

"Regina, please. Do you want that one thing?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because I want to know." Regina didn't respond for a moment, "I want it. Love. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own thoughts that I think I can have it."

"Yes, well, I'm sure Neal is as upstanding as his father."

"Now, now. He gave us Henry."

"Yes, and he didn't tell you who he was and he took advantage of you when you were seventeen and he was technically over 200 years old."

Emma smirked and nodded as she looked at the brunette, "Alright. I'll give you that one… But, I wasn't talking about Neal."

"I thought you loved him."

"I think, maybe I did. Love him. But there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone."

"And who are you _in love_ with? Someone just as gooey and family oriented and _charming_ as you, I'm sure."

"Actually, she's pedantic and preachy and a bit of a narcissist…" Emma smiled when she saw Regina's surprised look. "Are we really playing this game? You're really asking me who I'm in love with? Regina, come on… You're a lot of things, but stupid ain't one."

"Why me?"

"Because you ruffle my feathers."

Regina looked at her confused.

"You're everything that I want in a partner, Regina. You challenge me. And you don't show it, but I can see how deeply you feel _everything_... And I don't see how you do it. How you live life feeling the weight of everything. You are so beautifully strong… You take my breath away."

Emma took the brunette's hand and stroked her fingers, "I want to take you on a date, Madam Mayor."

Regina raised a brow, "Are you asking or telling?"

"Does it matter? Once I really set my eyes for something, I get what I want." Emma's voice was nothing if not arrogant.

"Well, if you expect me to show up or actually go with you on a date with you, then you're going to have to ask me."

"Okay." The blonde nodded and adjusted her knees so she was kneeling a little more comfortably, "Will you go out on a date with me?"

"No." Regina stood with a hint of a smirk and a wide smile behind her eyes.

Emma could tell it just became a game. She didn't lose her smile as she followed the newly reinstated mayor from her office to the hallway, down the stairs and to the parking lot.

Emma waited for Regina to click the unlock button on her key ring before running a few steps ahead and opening her door for her.

Regina raised a brow as she moved around the blonde to get in her car. She opened her mouth as if about to ask something, but Emma leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"I will get that date, Madam Mayor." Emma's grin was triumphant and wide, "You know I will." She didn't look back to see the happily shocked face of one Regina Mills Mayor of Storybrooke, she simply sauntered to the cruiser, got in and sped off.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma's many shenanigans became a game between the two women. Chocolates here, notes there, an apple-shaped cookie/candy jar and even an apple-shaped decanter were all gifts the blonde woman used in hopes that the brunette woman would say yes. Finally, she decided to quit with all the shenanigans seeing as they weren't working, She needed to do something that would be noticed. Something so grand and so corny that Regina would have to track her down and have it out with her. And she knew just what to do.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma was crossing the street to go to the diner for lunch when she saw the front of the Mercedes. She sprinted into the diner just getting in before the car could turn onto the street. She watched it pass by the diner and turn into the station parking lot.

Emma grinned then walked like she was creeping down a hallway, thinking any subtle movement of hers would get her caught. With her entrance, her tongue narrowed against the middle of her upper lip and the glint in her eyes, Ruby definitely knew something was going on. She sniffed the air and looked to the station lot where Emma's eyes had been trained as she got the girl some water and set it before her.

"What did you do?"

Emma only grinned wide.

"Obviously whatever it was, her parents were not allowed to know about it." Snow said as she and Charming picked up their plates from their two-person table to sit at the diner, "Where's Henry?"

"He's at a friend's tonight. He wanted to go over right after school." Emma provided easily whilst looking back to see if Regina was making her way over yet.

She was.

She grinned and turned back around.

"Seriously." Ruby gave her a grin, "What did you do?"

Emma kept the grin on her face and pointed behind her to the door as it opened and the bell chimed.

"Sheriff Swan. A word outside please?" Regina's voice was calm and collected as she stood halfway between inside and out.

"Sure, Madam Mayor." Emma's voice was cheery as she started to follow the brunette outside, but Snow's hand stopped her.

"Emma, is there something we need to be worrying about?"

"What? No! I'm just playing nice like you told me." Emma tried to leave once more, but her mother's grip stopped her.

"I never told you to play nice." Before Emma could go off on a sarcastic tangent, she continued, "I don't dispute that it's what you should do, but I never told you to play nice…" She gave her daughter a look telling her she was watching the blonde like a hawk and she would find out what was going on then released her.

Emma finally made it outside where the brunette was waiting, "Yes, Regina?"

Regina took a fake rose out of her coat. It was as crimson as one of her apples, and made of silk. "I found this."

"For me?" Emma feigned excitement, "That's so sweet, but I don't think our relationship is there yet." She held herself together with a smirk.

"_And_ many, many more _real_ red roses scattered throughout my home in many vases. Care to explain yourself?" Regina's tone wasn't harsh so to speak, it was stern and almost scolding. Almost.

"Did you find the vase with the note?" Emma's lips pursed in question.

Regina pulled out the small envelope to show the blonde instead of tell her.

Emma shrugged, "Then I don't need to explain myself."

"'I'll love you until the last one dies'?"

Emma looked down and smirked, "Regina that is so sweet, but so cliché… especially since the only flower you're giving me is fake." She pretended to reach for the rose, but Regina pulled it back quickly and huffed in frustration.

"Sheriff Swan!"

"Regina!"

"When are you going to give this up?" The brunette's voice was desperate.

"When that flower dies by natural and non-magical means—That means you can't set it on fire." Emma grinned and bobbed her head back and forth.

"Why are you doing this?" Regina's voice became suddenly serious.

"Because I like you! Is that so hard to comprehend?" Emma's voice now held the desperate tone.

Regina looked down at the envelope and rose in her hand. She knit her brows and looked back up, "The note says love."

"Same diff!"

"No, it's not, it's completely different. Liking someone and loving them are not the same. Just like loving them and being in love with them is not the same."

"REGINA!"

"What? It's true, and I got that last one from you." Regina kept herself composed, knowing she was riling the woman up, with an inquisitive look.

"Will you just go out on a date with me, damn it!?" The blonde pushed her fists down her sides in frustration.

"Why?" She knew that she was frustrating the blonde, but she just didn't understand why, after everything that has happened between them the blonde wanted her. She needed to know it wasn't a ploy of some kind.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. She stamped her foot like a child, "Just do it!"

"Not until you give me a reason." The brunette bit her lip.

Emma huffed and puffed and finally, "Because you're infuriating!"

The blonde then walked away. Not inside, just the opposite direction of the infuriating, brunette woman she loved. It took a total of five steps before Regina realized Emma wasn't going to turn back around.

The mayor followed the sheriff, "Sheriff Swan!" she called after her. Emma just kept walking. "Sheriff!" She tried again to no avail. "I will keep following you. If you can chase me down and ask me out every damn day then I can and have the right, might I add, to ask you why."

Emma stopped suddenly and turned around, "If you can catch me!" she started running. It was like a horror movie, Regina was gaining on the blonde running away when she was only walking after, granted she was power walking, but still. She walked after the blonde all the way to the woods.

She might be in love with the other woman and she might want that other woman to know it even if she was asking why instead of saying yes, but she was not going to keep chasing after her like some sort of fool. So, Regina after getting to the trail herself, out of sight from the public eye, decided to poof. She poofed only a few feet in front of the blonde causing said blonde to run smack into her and them both to topple to the ground, Emma landing on top of Regina.

They stared at each other for a moment before Emma finally broke the silence, "Go out with me."

"But I'm infuriating."

"Damn it, Regina! Go out with me!"

"Why?" The brunette breathed the word out as she stared up into Emma's green eyes.

Emma saw Regina's insecurity, "Oh… You think I'm playing you…" She took the brunette's hand and put it over her heart, "Take it."

"No." Regina tried to wriggle from under the blonde.

"Put your hand in my chest and feel it." The look in Emma's eyes made the brunette do what was asked of her. Emma took a steady breath knowing no harm could come of her heart, "You should go out with me because you feel it as much as I do. You want me as much as I want you. You _trust_ me as much as I trust you. And because when you're not around, that's when my heart is truly in danger… Not here. Not with your hand in my chest. Here. Now. I'm safer than I've ever been."

Regina pulled her hand from Emma's chest and placed it against the blonde's cheek, "But you're going to be the death of me. You're the savior."

Emma gave the woman a happily wicked grin, "That doesn't have to be a bad thing, R'gina." She hiccupped. After a small staring contest, she leaned down and kissed her cheek before whispering, "Please go out on a date with me." She pulled back and held onto Regina's hair tight and whispered again, "Please."

"Okay." Regina whispered back.

"Yeah?" Emma, still whispering, was grinning ear to ear.

"Yes." Regina barely got the word out and nodded once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Date #1**

Emma's hair was curled to perfection. Hair porn never looked so good. She wore her make up light so her eyes would be the only things that topped her hair. The dress she bought for the night was black, sleek and sexy; it had a cross front and a built in bra so the girls were extra inviting. It fit snug, which is what it was supposed to do and cut off just above her knee. Her feet were adorned with cap-toed black pumps, and a small black clutch held her phone and cards.

She pulled up to the mayor's mansion and stared at the white door with the gold '108' on it. She pursed her lips, turned the car off, and, leaving the keys in the ignition and her purse on the dash, she got out and strode confidently to the front door.

It took half a second for Regina to answer the door after Emma rang the bell. And answer the door she did! Regina was in a simple red, cap-sleeved dress. It hugged her curves and was cut off at a lower, classy-mid-thigh length.

They took a moment just to look the other over. Emma's jaw was dropped and Regina's eyes were light with pleasure.

Finally, Regina shook from her stupor and looked to the blonde's slack jaw. She reached out and closed it, "Honestly Sheriff, keep it together in front of the girl you're trying to impress."

"Yeah.." Emma breathed, "Right. Sorry… You ready?"

Regina nodded and grabbed her purse before they made their way to the restaurant.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma held Regina's hand the entire ride over and she clasped it again once they were both out of the car. The blonde chose this hole-in-the-wall Italian place that she'd actually never stepped foot in before until the week before to check it out and make reservations. She still refused to let Regina have her hand to herself once they were inside. She only let go when they were being seated.

Regina looked around subtly as she felt everyone's surprised stares. She nibbled on her lip and looked down.

Emma noticed her discomfort, "Everything alright?"

"Fine." The brunette opened her menu, and there came the blonde's hand once more.

"You sure?" Emma was obviously oblivious to everyone else. Her sole focus on the brunette.

Regina stared at their hands and looked up with a small, reassuring smile, "Yes."

"Okay…" She wasn't sure she believed her.

It was in this moment that Emma's phone buzzed the text alert buzz. Then it buzzed again. And again. And again. On the fifth time Emma reached for it to turn it off.

"Answer it." Regina said calmly.

"What? No…" Emma's face was scrunched before it morphed into a bright smile, "We're on a date. I'm not going to answer the phone… It's just a text…" She looked down at it as a different buzz pattern began.

"Answer the phone." Regina nodded to it, telling her she had to.

"Okay… I'll be right back. I promise." The blonde stood and answered, "Hello?" as she walked over to the front so she wouldn't disturb the other patrons.

Her mother's voice was shrill over the line so Emma stopped her before she could really get started, "Look, is this important?" Emma looked back over to Regina sitting so uncomfortably, hiding in her menu that she finally moved her stare from the brunette looked around her to see everyone else's stares and glares and it finally sunk in.

"Is this important?! Regina? Really? That's why you've been 'playing nice' with her? You wanted to get her into bed?"

Emma was not going to talk to her when she was being this irrational. She did not want to get Regina into bed—Okay, that is a goal, but it's not her only goal. She wanted to be with the mayor, not be with her for a night. She huffed a quick, frustrated sigh before, "Is there something wrong with Henry?"

"What? No…"

"David?"

"No…"

"Yourself?"

"No! Emma—"

"Then I'm hanging up. And Mary Margaret? If you call me again to reprimand the woman I'm falling in love with, I will not hesitate to shut you out of my life until you accept her. Goodbye."

"Falling in love with—?!"

That was all Emma heard as she brought the phone down and hit 'end'. She stood there a moment longer as she turned off her phone and waited for the screen to go dark before she moved back to the table.

"Sorry." She apologized with a sigh, "Henry isn't feeling well. He wanted to go home to his own bed."

"Well, if he's not well, we should go—"

"He's fine." Emma assured her, "Let's just… enjoy the date. No more distractions." The blonde said as she put her phone back in her purse and pushed it aside.

Regina stared at the clutch a moment before looking up at the blonde, "Henry is fine, isn't he… Because he isn't feeling sick…" Emma didn't say anything, she only gave the brunette a look of confirmation, "We can leave, Sheriff…"

"Emma." The blonde corrected before giving her an inquisitive look, "And why would we do that?"

Regina glanced around as she felt what seemed to be the entire room lean in to hear her reasons. She shook her head as she looked back to the blonde and realized that Emma really didn't know what was going on, or if she did, she wasn't letting it bother her. She decided to do the same.

"Never mind." She smiled up at the blonde, "No reason."

They held hands, talked and even laughed throughout the meal. Emma brought Regina back to her house and they walked slowly up the pathway to the front porch.

"That call you got…" Regina looked down at her keys as she spoke.

"Yes."

"That was your mother. Someone, in the five minutes we had been there, told her you were out with me and she tried to break it up."

"I don't know if that's what she was actually trying to do…"

Regina knit her brows, "How…?"

"I didn't give her a chance to speak. Because if it _was_ that, then I wasn't going to stand around and listen to it when I could be spending my time with you…"

Regina smiled as she jiggled her keys looking for the one to open her door. She looked back to Emma, "Would you like to come in for a nightcap?"

Emma grinned, but her words threw the brunette for a loop, "I want to take it slow." She said seriously as she leaned in and kissed Regina's cheek then took the first step off the porch before her hormones got the better of her and she turned around and enveloped the mayor in the best damn kiss that either of them had ever had.

She pecked her twice more before pulling slightly away saying, "Turtle's pace. We don't want to jump the gun and fall too much in love too quickly now. Even though I am the savior and I've saved your ass countless times and you are the not-so-evil queen, the beautiful, broken, fallen angel that just needs what I can give you…" She turned, pulling entirely from the brunette and went back down that first step before turning back to see Regina's inquisitive gaze, "Forgiveness, compassion, love… But we're gonna take it slow even though it took me forever to finally get you to say yes…"

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #2**

Emma and Regina after the night of their first date were in constant interaction. They were always on their phones, texting, talking, face-timing (because yes, they were a couple of idiots falling in hard love), e-mailing—anything that a person can do to get in communication with another on their phone, that's what they did.

They'd meet up for dinners and lunches at the diner or in either of their offices, but they weren't dates. Ruby learned that one day a few days after their first date when they were having lunch.

"Well, well. The sheriff and the mayor for lunch again. What date number is this, or have you been keeping track?"

Emma knit her brows, "It's not a date…"

Ruby knit her brows and looked at the blonde, "But… you guys have been having meals alone… together alone… and you hold hands."

Regina blushed at how excitedly sad Ruby became; it was nice seeing there was one person rooting for them. "We've decided that these aren't real dates." Ruby's ears perked and her face turned inquisitive at the other brunette's words, "We decided that when we ask the other out on real dates that we would specify that it is a real date and try to do stuff we don't do everyday…"

"Ohh…" Ruby smiled, "Well, when is date number two?"

"Tonight." Emma said to both brunettes' surprise.

"And what, pray tell are we doing?" Regina asked with raised brows.

"You tell me." Emma grinned as she pulled a folded cootie catcher from her pocket.

"Cootie catcher!" Ruby pointed happily as Emma slid her fingers in the corners.

The blonde gave her friend a look, "You gonna stick around, or can I ask her on a date by myself?"

"Well, I have to know how it turns out…"

Ruby and Emma shared a playful glare before the blonde turned back to Regina, "Pick a color."

Regina looked at each square and laughed, "Ruby, Blood, Real Apple or Candy Apple?"

Emma smiled, "I decided to keep the color the same but give you different shades because I knew you'd choose 'red' if I wrote 'red', 'blue', 'green', and 'yellow' down."

"There are other colors besides those four, Emma." Ruby said sarcastically.

"Yes, but if I didn't put 'red' as an option, she'd make it one anyways."

"Hmm… Go for 'ruby'!" Ruby gave Regina a grin.

"Okay, 'ruby'.." Regina shook her head as she watched the two friends interact.

"R-U-B-Y" Emma moved her fingers accordingly with each letter.

"Pick a number."

Regina looked in the hole and decided on, "Three."

"One, two, three." Emma, excitedly looked to Regina, "Pick another number."

"Umm… two."

"Aww! That's cute, 'cause it's your second date!" Ruby grinned, then when both women looked at her, "Hey, I'm not going anywhere until I find out what you're doing…"

Emma sighed and flipped the number up, "Bowling." She gave the mayor a wicked grin. "Madam Mayor, it's time to see what us common folk in this land do. Will you go bowling with me?"

Regina nibbled at her bottom lip as a grin broke out on her face, "You'll teach me and you won't make fun?"

Emma smiled and shook her head as she leaned in and kissed Regina's cheek, "I won't make fun, I promise."

Ruby stuck out her bottom lip and pouted like the half dog she was, "That is so cute!" She turned to leave them before she turned back, "What do you guys want to eat?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma pulled up to the mayor's mansion in a black tank, skinny jeans and red converse to match her jacket. She rang the bell and waited. When Regina answered in a red, grey and white plaid shirt, a pair of jeans—A PAIR OF JEANS!—and a pair of Nikes, Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" Regina looked down suddenly embarrassed, "What? Is something wrong?" She moved into her house more in case of passers by.

Emma stopped laughing when she saw the worried look on Regina's face. She walked into the mansion and over to the brunette with that silly grin that Regina was falling deeply for. The blonde shook her head as she reach out to the brunette; she licked her lips as she pulled the other woman in by the back of the neck and kissed her, "No, Regina." She smiled wide, "Nothing is wrong." She hugged her close, "I've just never seen you so casual before."

Regina looked did not pull from the blonde as she looked at her outfit, "Well… we're going bowling. I didn't have anything appropriate, so I had to go to the store this afternoon and this was all they had that I liked…"

"It's lovely." Emma tried to make the woman feel comfortable with another peck to her lips before, "Just not what I was expecting."

"Well what were you expecting? Me in a power suit or a dress?"

Emma smiled, "I have an extra pair of socks for you in my car just to make sure you had something to cover your feet besides nylons."

Regina hit the blonde's shoulder, but didn't let her pull away. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck and they swayed to their own beat, "Thank you for thinking of me."

"You're welcome." Emma looked down at Regina's clothes again, "You're so sexy, it's ridiculous."

"In these clothes?"

"In any clothes. But I think I will be partial to these clothes.." Emma grinned at Regina's contemplative reaction.

"Why?"

"Because you bought them for me. For our date." She gave Regina a wide smile that Regina couldn't help but return.

"Well, sheriff, when you have a good thing, you work for it." With a subtle raise and lower of her brows, she pushed past the blonde and moved to the front door, "Spit spot, Sheriff." She said waiting on the woman to walk outside so she could close the door.

"Mary Poppins!" Emma pointed to Regina before taking her hand as she waited for the brunette to lock her door, "Say, is she a real fairytale?"

"Yes." Regina nodded as they descended the steps and moved to the car.

"Well, where is she?"

"Not in this realm right now."

"Does she look like Julie Andrews?"

"They have a great likeness, yes."

"Does she sing to make time pass?"

"Yes, she does."

"Was there really a Jane and Michael Banks?"

"Yes, there was."

"Are you bullshitting me?" Emma asked as she opened the passenger door for the brunette.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No. You know already, which is really, truly out of my character to let anyone know how much I love Mary Poppins…"

"She is real, darling, I promise you that. And she does look like Julie Andrews and sing, and she is in a different realm right now. But there was no Jane and Michael Banks."

"Awesome." Emma grinned as she started the car.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina sat down and looked at the colorful shoes the blonde set in front of her, "Do I have to wear those?"

"Well, _you Madam Mayor_ could probably get away without wearing them. I promise I won't arrest you, but technically the nasty used shoes are part of the fun of bowling…"

"Part of the fun?"

"Yeah!" Emma grinned as she pulled her hair back in a ponytail, "Come on… Please?"

The brunette leaned down and tentatively took the pair of shoes. She untied them from each other before slowly uncrossing her legs and untying her tennis shoes. Emma was smirking the whole time. Anyone that had eyes and could see, could see how much Emma already adored the woman before her.

The blonde stood up not taking near as much time to switch from her converse to her bowling shoes, and moved behind Regina, "I'm going to pick out our balls, 'kay?"

"Okay…" Regina was still staring at the shoe.

Emma grinned wide and kissed the chocolate hair before her, "Come on, Madam Mayor, I know you've faced deadlier more disgusting things than a pair of shoes…"

"I suppose you're right." She started putting her foot in the shoe as Emma moved off to get some bowling balls.

She came back with four, two under her arms and two held by the finger holes, "Okay, this black swirly one is mine. And I found you your own black swirly one, a purple swirly one and a red swirly one."

"Darling, you know my favorite color, you boasted about it this afternoon…" Regina grinned as she watched the blonde set the balls on the conveyor belt.

"No, they're different weights." Emma turned to the brunette and offered her hand, "The black is ten pounds, the red is eight and the purple is six. I really didn't think you'd need 12 pounds…"

"Of course not." Regina knit her brows.

"It's okay, Honey, you'll understand by the end of our first game." Emma comforted the woman and hugged her from behind, "You wanna get snacks then play or play then snacks then play again?"

"Mmm, I want to play…" The brunette's tone took on a dirty connotation.

"Don't do that thing with your voice." Emma pulled from her as she sat in the seat with the control panel to get the game started.

"Why?"

"Because if you keep it up, we won't be taking things so slow." She gave the woman a playfully serious look.

"I'm not sure it would be a bad thing…"

Emma shook her head, her eyes still lit and gleaming, "I wanna do this right…"

"I know, darling." Regina nodded and walked to the blonde's side to watch what she was doing. "Reggie?!" her tone was scolding and borderline angry.

"Okay!" Emma held her hands up in surrender before hitting the backspace button. "Never gonna be allowed to call you _that_…"

"Not if you want to live to see the next day." Regina whispered in the blonde's ear.

"See, this is the confusing thing… You threaten my life and I think it's just adorable." Emma grinned and stood up. "You ready to play?" She kissed the brunette's cheek.

"Just show me how."

The rest of the night was filled with playful, flirtatious banter between them both and lots and lots of goodnight kisses that almost turned into good morning kisses, but eventually both women found themselves and Emma left Regina with a happy-go-lucky grin.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #3**

Emma walked through her kitchen to find it almost completely bare. She pouted, wanting to have some junk food when she remembered her brunette girlfriend—that's right, Regina agreed to the title of girlfriend the day after their second date—said she needed to go grocery shopping too. She grabbed her phone and keys, "Hey kid? I'm going grocery shopping, I'll be out a while." She said as she walked through the living room, "Can I trust you?" She smirked at his reaction.

"Of course you can trust me, mom!" He turned back to his homework.

"All right, I'll be back later." She unlocked her phone and dialed as she walked to her car, "Hey, watchya doin'?"

"Cleaning… why?"

"I wanna take you on a date. Right now. I'm headed over, okay?"

"I don't have time to—"

"Change? Don't you just like… snap your fingers and you're good? Besides, it's casual, but if you'd rather business casual, I'm sure you'd look fine. I'll be there in a few."

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Grocery shopping? That's your idea of a third date? My how your imagination has slacked since last week…"

"Come on! We've never done it together before—"

"That is the absolute truth."

Emma grinned as she heard her lady's words, but continued as if she wasn't interrupted, "And it's something I hope to get to do with you a lot more in the future, but it's convenient for both of us because I'm out of everything and so are you and since this is the first time, it's fun and new… And… we get to make fun each other based on what we buy…"

"And why do we want to do that?"

"Because we love the banter it brings us. And it keeps us young and in love… so to speak."

Regina shook her head as she got out in a new plaid shirt and her jeans and running shoes. She slung her purse over her shoulder and waited for the blonde.

"And those pants will also keep me young and in love with you… again, so to speak." Emma grinned as she kissed Regina's cheek and wrapped her arm around the brunette as they walked in from the parking lot.

Once they both had their carts, they started to turn opposite directions. Regina knit her brows, "Where are you going?"

"Frozen foods, duh… You go to the frozen stuff first because that's the most important. It's where we get most of our meals…"

Regina stared at the blonde making sure she was serious. "No… You save the frozen stuff for last so that it will stay frozen. And that's not where most of your meals should be coming from."

Emma stared at her for a full minute, "Okay, the first part of your explanation is sound, but that's not where my meals should be coming from? Really? Do you want me and your son to die?"

"No.."

"Then we do frozen meals."

Regina gave the woman a sympathetic look before giving her a sad smile and a hug, "No one ever taught you how to cook, huh?" Emma shook her head and stuck her bottom lip out, "Well, I'll teach you sometime. But first, I'll just cook for you… Okay?" The brunette pecked the blonde's bottom lip until it went back in then she gave both lips a kiss, "We're starting in produce and working our way over to frozen."

"Yes ma'am." Emma followed begrudgingly.

Regina was already at the limes, lemons and oranges, "You like Mexican food, right?"

Emma grinned wide and watched the woman pick out her citrus. She wrapped her arms around the brunette, since the produce section cleared out due to the 'evil' queen being there—something that was both annoying and welcome. The blonde kissed Regina's cheek, "You asking me out on a date?"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Dates 4 & 5 were put together for a reason. They are the dates that Regina mentions in "If They Can't Have Each Other They Will Never Be Happy." So, if everything sounds familiar, that is the reason why as well! Hope you enjoy!**

**Date #4**

"OH MY GOOOOOHOOOD!" Emma groaned around her food, "Did you do nothing but work on this world's recipes for the 28 years I wasn't in your life?"

Regina smirked, "Yes. Yes I did."

"Well it shows…" Emma pushed herself up a bit from her lying position to reach for more chicken onions and peppers in the tiny skillet, "And Mexican food on the floor in front of the fireplace?" She looked to Regina, "Surprisingly romantic, even if I am stuffing my face with foods that will make my breath stink."

"Oh, it's alright darling, I'm eating the same things you are." Regina watched a grin form on the blonde's face as she looked shyly down to her food, fixing another fajita, "What?"

"What, what?"

"That smile… why am I graced with that? Not that I don't love it, I do, I want to know what I did, so I can keep making it happen."

Emma grinned wide at that, "I like it when you call me 'darling'. That's all. And when you open up to me. I like that."

"I'll keep that in mind." Regina smiled and leaned to grab another tortilla.

"Tell me something."

"What do you want to know?"

Emma looked up at Regina, "Oh, woman's letting me pick… Hm…" She set her fajita down on her plate and turned over in thought, "Tell me about…" She clicked her tongue against her teeth—if she was going to get to pick, she wanted it to be good.

"Tell you about…"

"I don't know, I wanna know something that someone can't tell me. Something that I can only know because you told me… What's your secret?"

"My secret…"

"Like horseback riding—which I'm working on for our next date, by the way, but something else. Something you do or did for you." Regina and Emma shared a look at Emma's mention of their next date.

"Something for me that's not horseback riding."

"Or Henry." Emma smiled.

"Hmm… I'd have to say it's music."

"Music?" Emma crawled to sit crisscross applesauce.

Regina nodded, "Yes. I love music."

"What kind of music?"

Regina shrugged as she mirrored the blonde, sitting up, "Any kind of music."

"Do you play anything?"

"I can play guitar."

Emma smiled, "Really?"

"Yes, it's what I picked up in this land."

The blonde knit her brows, "And what did you play in the other land?"

Regina smiled, "Lute."

"Lute? The hell's a lute?"

Regina waved her hand over her lap and produced a lute.

"Oh one of them funny looking guitars from the medieval times!"

Regina strummed a few chords and nodded. Emma only cocked her head, scrunched her face and stared at it, "You don't like it…"

"No! I don't not like it, I've just never heard it in person before." Emma gestured to the lute, "Play something."

"Alright. This one was actually written in this land, but somehow crossed to ours when I was very young." She played the first verse of John Dowland's 'Come Again,' "Come again, sweet love doth now invite, thy graces that refrain to do me due delight. To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die with these again in sweetest sympathy."

Emma listened intently to the words and she had to cock her head the other way when she finished. She took a breath and pointed at it, "What was that about?"

Regina smiled wide, "What do you think it was about?"

"Uhh… sex, but you said 'to die,' so that's wrong…" Emma looked at her with questioning eyes.

This only made Regina smile wide, "You're right."

"Heh?"

Regina smirked, "You're right, you see, orgasms used to be referred to as 'little' or 'mini' deaths."

Emma's jaw dropped, but Regina could tell she was smiling around her wide-eyed slack-jawed face, "It's about orgasms!? Specifically?!"

Regina only grinned as she waved the lute away and took her plate once more.

"Are you trying to tell me something, honey?"

The brunette looked down with her smile turning sweet, "I like it when you call me by an endearment."

"Well, I'll be sure to do it more, baby, darling, honey, Regina, baby."

"You said baby twice."

"Does it matter, baby?"

Regina shook her head.

Emma took her plate and took a huge bite. She chewed a bit before, "You sang me a song about orgasms…" she chuckled.

"It's a very popular song. Sting sang it when he was going through his lute phase…"

Emma's amusement didn't fade, "It's still about orgasms."

"Yes, darling, it is."

Emma took another bite, but had a request, so she had to chipmunk her food, "Play guitar when we get done with the food. Please?" She smiled making the chipmunk face look even more ridiculous.

"I don't have a guitar anymore."

"Can't you poof one here like the lute?"

"I flashed my lute from my attic."

"But you said you picked up guitar here…"

Regina nodded, "I did, but when you were trapped in the other land things happened and mine was destroyed."

Emma's face saddened.

"No, it my fault. I was desperate for magic and I was angry, desperate and rummaging and things just fell on top of it in my haste."

"So you can't just flash things from a magazine?"

"I can technically but I feel it's stealing, so I don't like to do it. Though I might be compelled for a specific breakfast someone has in mind—once we get to that stage."

Emma tried to contain her grin, "Well… That's very admirable, Madam Mayor."

"Well, thank you, Sheriff Swan."

Emma grinned, "We'll have to get you another guitar someday…" She said after finishing her fajita and crawling around their picnic to kiss the brunette.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. What kind of guitar do you want?"

Regina thought about it, "I don't know…"

Emma sat on her knees, still hovering over the brunette, "Sooo… I can just pick out whichever I like most and we'll get you that one?"

"Sure." Regina nodded as she set her plate aside and took the blonde's arms.

Suddenly Emma found herself poofed to the couch, playing the little spoon and looking at the fire. She turned with a smirk onto her back and looked up to the brunette.

Regina was holding her head up with a hand and with her free one she took Emma's face, "I will admit that I am partial to Gibson, and I have always thought the Gibson dove is lovely. But that's a rather expensive guitar and I don't think we need to spend that much on an instrument."

Emma narrowed her eyes and nodded, "Alright." She leaned up and kissed the brunette.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #5**

Regina inhaled deeply as she felt the fresh air hit her face. She leaned into Emma's front as they road a horse through an open field.

Emma hugged the brunette tighter and whispered in Regina's ear, "You having fun, honey?"

"So much fun, darling." The brunette turned and brought the blonde's head closer so she was able to kiss her.

"Mmm, good." Emma looked around, "Hey, let's see what's over that way. I think there's something really cool over there."

Regina gave the blonde a skeptical look, "Oh you do, do you? You think we should go that way and not this way?"

Emma pulled the reigns gently so the turn was smooth, but she still managed to receive a scolding look from Regina for taking the reigns—quite literally. So instead of apologizing, she said, "I just really, really want to see what's over here!"

"Emma…"

"What's with all the suspicions!?" Emma tried to act innocent.

"Darling…" Regina smirked as she let the blonde take the reigns to steer for them both, knowing something was obviously up, and leaned into her.

"Babe, I just want to see what's over this way."

"Just like you have wanted to see what's over certain ways all evening."

"Sorry if I'm particular."

Regina only smiled and let the blonde steer on.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Emma Swan…" Regina stared at the picnic basket cuddled against a tree trunk.

"Regina Mills." Emma grinned as she helped the brunette down from the horse.

"What did you do?"

"I simply provided us with sustenance…" The blonde smiled at her girlfriend's reaction and walked over to the basket. She pulled the blanket out and spread it in the spot with the perfect view overlooking all of the trees, most of Storybrooke, a few ponds and the setting sun gleaming off the ocean on the horizon line. "Come on…" Emma sat and offered the brunette her hand so Regina would come sit with her.

"Now, I'm not a cook, you know that. But I can make a pretty awesome peanut butter and whatever sandwich. Now, I didn't know how generous you were with your peanut butter and I didn't know if you liked jam, jelly, preserves—what kind of jam, jelly or preserves—or if you prefered bananas, honey, nutella, or fluff, so I made two options of each… one with generous dollops of PB and one with, what I suppose is 'normal', and then I made some combos…" Emma showed her the many, many sandwiches that lay in labeled plastic baggies. "I also know that you like regular milk, but I didn't know if you wanted to be daring and try pink milk or chocolate milk, so I brought a few single bottles of each of those too. Oh! And I brought big bag of Cheetos because I know you secretly like those."

Regina took everything in, all the sandwiches and the different milks and the cheetos. She shook her head and smiled as she took the blonde's face and pecked her, "Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?"

Emma held the brunette's hands to her cheeks, "Well yeah…" She nodded before leaning in to kiss the brunette again. "Shall we eat?"

"We shall." Regina kissed her three more times before she pulled from her and reached for a sandwich.

~0~0~0~0~0~

It took a little longer than expected for the two to make it back after nightfall, but they got back to the stable in one piece. Emma had talked with the owner of the stables long before about her and Regina being out late. She had to work there a week to learn how to take care of the horse before he let her go on her date, but she was fine with it if it meant seeing Regina light up like she did.

Regina didn't know that Emma was all too familiar with the stable. So, it was all too easy when they got the horse back in its stall for Emma to feign interest in the upper level.

"What do you suppose is up there? You think it's just straw?"

"Does it matter, darling? Come on. Let's go back to my place."

"Not yet, I just wanna see."

"Emma don't! It's not your place to snoop."

"It is if I have a warrant."

"And you don't have one, so let's go before we get caught!"

"By who? Dude said he was going to be gone when we got back…" Emma started up the ladder that led to the second level.

"Emma!"

"Oh cool! It'd actually be a pretty stellar loft apartment… you know, if the bottom part wasn't stables…" Emma looked over the railing at Regina, "Come up here, babe!"

"Fine…" Regina reluctantly ascended the ladder. When she finally got to the top, she found Emma flopped on a mountain of hay and an ebony Gibson dove sitting on a guitar stand, a case sitting next to it. "Emma…"

Emma grinned wide, "I picked black because I thought it was sexiest…"

Regina touched the strings of the guitar and looked over at the blonde. She decided to tackle her before picking the guitar up.

"You really do want me to fall in love with you." The brunette said after giving Emma a heated kiss that made them both melt into the hay a bit more.

"I really, really do. You know why?" Emma asked as she held tight to the brunette's middle.

"Why?" Regina picked straw from the blonde's hair.

"Because I'm so in love with you…"

Tears threatened to spill from Regina's eyes as she stared down at the blonde. Regina nodded and leaned down for another kiss, "I'm in love with you too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They kissed twice more before Emma sat them up, "Play the guitar!" She said excitedly.

Regina took the guitar tentatively from its stand and sat next to the blonde once more. She played her, a few chords before starting in a guitar rendition of 'Wanted by Hunter Hayes'. And with the last chord still hanging in the air, Regina leaned into Emma who had suctioned herself to the brunette's side and kissed her a promising kiss, "Let's go back to my place…" She said in a tone that told the blonde she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"Yeah…" Emma nodded.

They got to the mansion, hay still all over them and they settled in the living room in front of a fire. Regina played what would become their song because of the emotion both of them felt during the small performance, 'Hold You In My Arms' by Ray LaMontagne. She also played a couple more songs that promised love and Emma realized all of the songs were from that playlist she'd listened through with the brunette in her office. Once the memory clicked, something inside of her clicked. She took the guitar from the brunette and placed it in its stand they brought from the stable.

She looked at the other woman and saw her vulnerable eyes. She couldn't help but smile; she knew she was the sole soul that ever received looks like this from the brunette. She smiled as she leaned down and kissed her softly. She knelt between the brunette's legs during the kiss and held onto the brunette's hips. She felt her girlfriend wrap her hands around her neck then fall to her cheeks. The blonde pulled and stared at the brunette, "I think it's time we stop taking things so slow…"

"Already? But it's only the fifth date…" Regina somehow had the ability to tease the blonde.

Emma smiled and nodded, "We've been on lots and lots of non-dates though. And we confessed our love for each other; I just wanna show you how much I love you."

Regina matched Emma's smile and pulled her in, "Well how can I say no to that?"

"You're gonna let me make love to you?"

"As long as you let me make love to you."

"Deal." The blonde moved in to kiss Regina again.

**AN: I know, SUPER CHEESY! But what can I say? I like cheesy, gooey, fluffy things… Thoughts and Feels?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Date #6**

"Hi Mom." Henry opened the door and took in his brunette mother's outfit.

"Are you really taking Emma camping?"

Regina smiled and nodded, "I am. Does she think otherwise?"

Emma came down in her skinny jeans and converse with no bag packed, "She did until just now…" She pursed her lips to the side of her mouth, "Uhh… I'll be right back…"

Regina smirked, "I had a feeling this would happen." She mumbled before she waved her hand to the stairs Emma was currently barreling up, "No need, darling, come on."

Henry looked at his brunette mother then to his blonde mother then to his brunette mother again. He didn't know what to think.

Emma looked down after feeling extra weight on her back and hearing Regina's voice, "I didn't purchase any of this…" she turned around and gave the brunette a teasing look because their talk of poofing things they don't own resonated in her head after that night.

"I know. I did assuming you'd have taken hiking and camping for a joke." Regina smirked at the blonde's surprised 'Oh!' face.

"Well alright then." She looked to Henry, "Okay kid. You're on your own until dinner. Grandma and Grandpa will be coming to pick you up, got it?"

"Yeah." Henry nodded and hugged both his mothers. Though he watched his brunette mother with suspicious eyes as they walked out to the beetle.

~0~0~0~0~0~

They'd hiked through trails most of the afternoon and once the sun was beginning to set, they found a good camping area. Regina took to setting the fire while Emma laid out the many comforters, sleeping bags and blankets Regina flashed from her home in the tent. That was the nice thing about magic: she could flash things back and forth and didn't have to carry them with her.

Emma walked outside after she was done finding Regina about to light the fire.

"How do you do that?" Emma asked as she walked over to the brunette.

"Do what?"

"Do what?" Emma looked at her like she should know, "How do you make fire come out of your hand!"

Regina looked at the fireball, "Magic is all about emotion. Passion. Love. Hatred. The all-consuming." She threw the fireball at the teepee of wood, paper and gas she'd created now that the sun had set entirely and they needed to see, "When Rumple was first teaching me dark magic, when he was first twisting me around in his web, manipulating me to be the perfect plaything…" She took a breath and sighed it out, "I was desperate for it; I needed magic. My mother had tied me up and thrown me in the air letting me hang there, like she was prone to, and I had just… I finally had enough. She let me down and let me go on my way so long as I knew that I'd never truly get away, and I ran as deep into the woods as I could without tripping her magic barrier. I was so angry and so…trapped. I needed to get out. I don't know how it first happened, but I looked down and found fire coming from both my hands." Regina shrugged and looked at her, "After that, my hot hands became rather natural. Anytime I needed a light of some kind, I just needed to flick my wrist."

Emma took her ladylove's face, "I'm sorry I made you talk about her. I know you don't like to."

"It's alright."

"It's not alright. She never tried. Not once in your entire life did she try to put her heart back in for you. And in that entire time, if she had tried feeling again—just once, she would have realized what she learned right before she died. She should have known your entire life that you weren't just enough, but you were so overwhelmingly more than enough… Because you are. You are so much enough that you are damn perfect. And you should have been told that your entire life." Emma kissed her girlfriend solidly to back up her statement as best she could.

Regina broke the kiss and burrowed into the blonde's neck, "I love you."

"I love you too." Emma smiled wide when she felt lips against her neck.

Regina pulled from Emma and started wiping her lips, "You taste of bug spray."

"Well… we're in nature, there are bugs. I don't want to get bitten…" She thought about it as she walked after the woman who began walking closer to the fire, "Correction, I only want one thing biting me." She wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and hugged her tight.

Regina smirked, "Then I suggest you take that bug spray off…"

"But… Can't you just like… magic it into tasting good?" Emma waggled her brows suggestively.

Regina gave her a pointed look, "I… could do that, yes." She turned back to the fire and waved her hand producing a couple chairs and a large cooler with drinks, hot dogs, buns, condiments, Emma's alleged top five favorite chips, s'more necessities, and a couple other snacks she knew the blonde would enjoy.

Emma grinned wickedly at the brunette as she walked passed her and opened the cooler, "OH! Gushers and fruit roll ups!" She looked at the woman settling in the seat next to the cooler and kissed her, "Dank you, baby." She resumed going through their food deciding on what to have first.

"You're welcome, my love."

The blonde stopped and looked back at the brunette. After a fraction of a second of debate, the sheriff leaned back into the mayor and planted sloppy, happy kisses all over her face finally connecting with her lips, "I like that one better than 'darling'."

"My love?"

Emma nodded.

"Noted, my love. Noted." Regina smiled during another kiss before tapping the cooler telling the blonde to get to it.

Emma made sure that they pigged out on all the food Regina flashed for them. She also made sure that they took full advantage of the quasi-bed she'd made them. Full advantage.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #7**

Emma let herself into the mansion. She knew Regina was expecting her, so she decided not to bother with the formality of ringing the bell and waiting when Regina could finish whatever it was she was working on.

"Oh, you're just reading."

The brunette looked up from her book, "And you are in my house."

Emma tilted her head and grinned, "Do you not want me in your house?"

"I do…" Regina stood after putting a bookmark in her page and walked over to the blonde. She wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and greeted her with a kiss, "How was your day?"

"It was good. Nothing really happened." Emma shrugged, holding onto the brunette's lower back, "You?"

"Same boring job, same small town that hates me." Regina shrugged, "What are we doing tonight?"

"Being little kids."

"Little kids?"

"Yeah!" Emma nodded with a wide, closed-mouth smile. She then pursed her lips waiting for another kiss before continuing, "I decided since your childhood was messed up beyond repair and mine, well sucked, but probably not worse than yours that we could be little kids today in this land together. We're going to the park!"

"The park?" Regina had a wide grin, "The park that when I was building you accused me of stealing $50,000?"

"Yeah!" Emma's voice was as excited as the brunette's had been, "Wait…" She knit her brows and pouted, "Well, let's not talk about _that_ ever again. Emma-and-Regina-year-one was filled with hot, sexy eye sex and a lot of invalid accusations… let's only talk about eye sex when we talk about Emma-and-Regina-year-one." She took the mayor's hand and walked with her to the front door.

"Agreed. I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist that last one…" Regina gave the blonde her own closed mouth smile.

"It's okay." Emma pecked her lips, "To the park!"

~0~0~0~0~0~

The couple played on all the toys. They climbed the jungle gym, they did the swings, they did the monkey bars, the zip cord, the slide. They crawled through tunnels, walked over bridges, played tic-tac-toe on the spinning blocks. They slid down poles, climbed the tiny rock-climbing wall, and spun each other on the merry-go-round. Finally, after all the other kids—or all the actual children left for dinner, Emma dragged Regina over to the seesaw.

They gazed at one another happily as they lazily went up and down.

"This is fun, babe. When we move in together, we should get one."

Regina laughed, "No."

"When we have kids?"

"They can be just like all the other kids and come here to seesaw."

"You think about us having kids?" Emma grinned having thought she tricked Regina into providing information.

Regina only gave the blonde a pointed look as she stopped their swaying motion and stood, causing the blonde to fall on her ass then back thanks to that lovely angle she was left for dead at, "You don't?" Regina's tone was accusing.

Emma rolled over and popped up, brushing herself off, "Of course I do, Babe. I brought the whole kids thing up…"

"Oh, of course."

"Good to know where'd I'd be at if I didn't want more children though. And glad I'm not there." Emma grinned before kissing Regina's cheek.

"And just where would you be?"

"Anywhere but your bed."

"That's right." Regina smirked before giving the blonde a thousand watt smile. She hugged her girlfriend tight, "But your not there."

"No, I'm not."

"It's also far too soon for us to technically even think of children."

"You're absolutely right. We've just decided that we are indeed going to have more kids once we've made that commitment to each other. Keeping the lines of communication open and all that. Opening the floor for discussion."

"Even though we both agree." Regina nodded, "It's wise, really, how we communicate."

"Talk about things but never do them?"

"Yes. But I think we will in fact have more children… just after everything settles…"

Emma's stomach took this opportunity to growl loudly.

"Like your stomach for instance, come my love, let's get you food."

"Mmm, food." The blonde smiled before taking Regina's hand and walking her to the diner.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #8**

"Darling do we have to do this?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because exploring abandoned places is considered scary and fun in this world."

"It's considered death in the other world."

Emma turned, her foot on the first step of the dilapidated porch steps that led to a big hole in the floor showing the basement from the kitchen. "What does that even mean? Is there like a… like a monster or something that pretends to be a house and people go in and the monster eats them?"

"Yes… after it digs into their psyches to find their worst fears and puts them through them and once they are completely tortured and gone from their mind, then it eats them…"

Emma looked at the house and back to Regina, "Seriously?"

"YES!"

"Well… too bad I didn't know that before I came in here last week with Henry…"

"You came in here with Henry?"

"Yeah, kids at school were talking about it and I wanted to see what all the creepy fuss was about, make sure it wasn't too dangerous and just enough to be fun… That's also why we took the cruiser, so if kids were here or are headed this way, they will leave and we can have the place to ourselves."

Regina only listened to the first part of Emma's statement. "Oh so this is where he scraped his arm against a nail in the wall and had to go to the hospital for stitches and a tetanus shot."

Emma gave her girlfriend an innocent smile, "I luh you."

"I don't want to go in."

"You scared?"

"Yes."

"Wow! She willingly admits her fear. Babe, we have made progress." Emma put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest as if boasting.

"Yes, and I don't want to go in."

"Oh come on!" Emma wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, "If you're still only scared and not at all fascinated with the first floor, then we can go…"

Regina looked down at the ring necklace her girlfriend always wore. She fingered it, "You'll keep me safe?"

"Well, you're the one with controllable magic, but I will stay close or hold your hand or be touching you in some place the entire time."

Regina nodded, "Okay. We can go in."

Emma took Regina's hand and helped her up the steps and around the hole in the entry way/kitchen.

"Emma!" Regina pointed to the wall at dark, dried, smeared handprints

Emma looked and laughed, "That's new… That was not here last week. Obviously, this place is becoming popular. I smell Halloween pranks gone wrong…"

Regina gave her girlfriend an unpleasant look.

"Just come on. The living room isn't even the cool part. The cool rooms are the room with the piano, the attic, which is more like a puzzle—you know depending on if you don't want to fall through the floor, and the basement."

Regina sighed as Emma walked through the next doorway. She stopped and stared at the worn, weathered (literally due to the lack of actual windows), presumably rotting piano. She walked over to it and traced the now yellow-brown and black keys, even the ones that no longer stayed up to be pressed.

Emma crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, observing.

Regina mimed playing a song and hummed the tune.

"What song is that?"

"Hmhmm" Regina smiled through a closed mouth, soft laugh, "It's the main titles of _The Notebook_."

Emma grinned as she walked over to the brunette and wrapped her arms around her, watching her mime the chords, "I told you it wasn't scary." She whispered.

"Not that scary when you're not alone." Regina agreed as she interlocked their fingers.

"Come on. Let's go look at the attic…"

They didn't spend too long in the house. It was more a tour type place; not a place you spend all your time at, just a place you graze through.

Emma kept to her promise of sticking close or always touching, despite wanting to sneak away while Regina was looking at something and popping out when the brunette went in search. Regina seemed to know the first time she thought about doing it because she received the 'don't you dare' glare immediately after she finished looking around for the perfect spot to hide.

They went back to town, back to the mansion for dinner and a movie. Both decided _The Notebook_ was an appropriate movie to end their day with.

**AN: Thoughts and Feels?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Date #9**

Regina came into the diner like she was on a mission. A very happy mission. She found the good sheriff sitting in the middle of a booth. She made her way over, "Scooch." She tickled at the blonde's side causing her girlfriend to giggle.

"What are we so excited about?" Emma asked as she wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulder and sipped at her cocoa.

"Barney the purple dinosaur, an octopus, or R2D2?"

Emma gave her girlfriend a look, "Umm… What?"

"For our date tonight, we're going to bake a cake." Regina said in a no nonsense way.

"Oh we are, are we?"

"Yes, I decided since you've been doing so good not asking me to make you desserts lately that we would make a big one and pig out."

"We're gonna make a cake?!" Emma was much too excited for her own good.

"Mhmm, but I need you to pick out a cake pan for me to purchase. I narrowed it down to three that I knew you would make me put on a definite list."

"Barney, and octopus and R2…"

"Exactly."

"R2!"

"You want to see them before you decide?"

"R2! R2!"

Regardless of her girlfriend's childish antics, she pulled the pages up on her phone and showed them to her.

"And the octopus!" Was Emma's immediate change of mind. She looked up pleading, "Pwease?" She jut her bottom lip out for full effect.

Regina sighed, "I suppose we can make two cakes."

Ruby was grinning at their adorableness as she brought Regina a water glass.

Emma looked to the waitress, "And that is how it's done." She grinned, "I say, 'pwease?' and jut my lip out like this…" She demonstrated, "And I get what I want."

Regina rolled her eyes as she purchased the R2D2 and octopus cake pans. She looked up about to say something but Emma moved faster than her and covered her mouth.

"Please let me have this one. Please don't tell me how you actually control the situation. I want to pretend that you don't know I'm going to do it and you just can't say no to me."

Regina's eyes smiled and she nodded. She looked to Ruby after Emma took her hand away and muttered, "As long as she knows deep down that I actually know all of this ahead of time, then I let her get away with it."

"Just 'cause she's so cute?" Ruby smiled.

Regina glanced to Emma who went back to sipping on her cocoa. "That's one of the reasons."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma was getting into her car when she called Regina, "Hey babe, I'm heading your way. Are we going to have food-food or just cake-food? 'Cause I think I want dinner too…"

"Well, how about you come over here and then we'll discuss it." Her tone gave her secret away.

Emma grinned at her girlfriend's words, "What are we having?"

"That you will just have to find out once you get here."

The blonde let herself in the mansion and walked into the kitchen to find Regina's ass staring at her as she bent over the counter reading something Emma was sure she didn't care about but knew she needed to thank later.

"Good God almighty." She said as she walked into the room further.

Regina stood straight and turned around confused only to find the blonde's eyes still on her ass, which explained everything, "I see."

"You see what?" Emma walked over to her and finally when at her side, she looked to those brown eyes she'd grown to adore.

"Where your eyes…" The brunette felt a foreign hand trail its way to her rump, "And hands are always located."

Emma smiled innocently as she kissed her cheek, "I can't help it that I find my girlfriend sexy as hell…" She gave the brunette's ass a squeeze for emphasis.

Regina shook her head, "Go eat your food." She waved a hand to the table and poofed the blonde a bacon cheeseburger from Granny's.

Emma's face lit up, "Instant heart attack on a plate!" She skipped over to her meal, "You never let me have instant heart attack on a plate anymore." She eyed her girlfriend suspiciously, "Why do I get it the same night we're making cake?"

Regina waved her hand over the counter, poofing all of the supplies they would need to make a cake and icing from scratch, then she snapped her fingers putting the bowls, spoons and ingredients to work so the cake and icing would make themselves and she would only have to decorate.

"Because I wanted to treat you tonight, my love."

Emma pointed as she watched eggs crack themselves into bowls and mix with sugar and everything else, "Hey…"

"I got the candy and cereal for help decorating the cakes…"

She nodded, taking in the statement, but continued with her own thought as she looked back to Regina unsure, "Why is it making itself? I thought we were going to make it…"

"We're going to decorate, I promise." Regina assured her.

"But I wanted to make a rainbow cake…" The blonde looked down dejectedly, "They're so cool looking… but the cake is Sleeping Beautying itself… is it gonna be crunchy and fall over like on Sleeping Beauty?" She caught herself remembering that she met the real Aurora, "You know the Disney one?"

Regina smiled, "No, it's going to taste like my vanilla cake, I just get to sit here with you while you eat." She could tell Emma was still disappointed, "We can stop them as soon as you're done eating, alright?"

Emma grinned and proceeded to stuff her face in a quick-like manner.

After she finished, the two did as Regina promised and took over. They died the batter different colors and dumped them into the cake pans at different intervals. Emma clapped happily when a rainbow-fied R2D2 and a happy octopus were put in the oven.

"What do we do now?"

"Now…" Regina set the timer on the microwave, "We wait."

"Hmm." Emma looked at the time then to her girlfriend. She took her hand and walked with her to the living room couch, "Wanna make out?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

After teaching Emma that she couldn't just blob the icing on and expect it to look like she wanted it to look, they decided to have a cake decorating competition—Emma's idea and Regina's reluctant giving in to her girlfriend's wants. Emma got R2 and Regina got the octopus. Regina glanced over at Emma as she struggled and Regina couldn't help herself as she pointed her fingers and cleaned up parts that Emma wasn't working on.

Emma was trying desperately to make R2's icing look like R2. She would find herself looking over to Regina and that stupid octopus to find it looking perfect. She made the stupid thing Easter pink with a sea foam base for the suckers and purple eyes. She used Fruit Loops and Fruity Cheerios for the actual suckers. And she got some Cap'n Crunch Berries—one of Emma's favorites—and took out the blue ones, crunched them up and sprinkled it over part of the icing to make the ocean, then she took come of the crunch, did the same and made sand.

Emma on the other hand had blue fruit by the foot, well fruit by the feet, and some peach rings—not the variegated kind, but the red-orange on top, yellow on bottom kind. She grunted frustrated as she looked at the side she just finished. She rolled her eyes as she ran her finger up her knife gathering frosting (with a few crumbs of cake because she was through trying to listen to what her girlfriend tried to explain to her and had just started slapping it on), putting that finger in her mouth. She looked at Regina's cake longingly then back to her own. She wished she was creative like the brunette, but she wasn't. She liked to color when she was younger, but that was about it. She noticed something about her own as she stared: it was suddenly different. It looked… good. It didn't look like a child decorated it.

She glanced over to Regina and found that her girlfriend was avoiding her eyes at all costs; Regina was all too focused on her sand.

"Regina?" Emma stared her down.

"Hmm?" She kept spreading crunch crumbs.

"Regina?" A smirk began growing on Emma's mouth.

"Yes?" The same thing happened; just spreading crumbs.

Emma leaned against the counter and crossed her arms, "Regina?"

"What, my love?" Regina stopped with the crumbs and pressed her hands against the counter, but she still didn't look at her.

"Look at me." Emma hid the grin both on her face and in her throat.

Regina tilted her head but kept her eyes on her cake.

Emma smirked a bit, "Look at me." She said again.

Regina tore her eyes from her cake and moved them to the black tank top and skinny-jean covered hip against her counter.

"Look at my face." It was getting harder to hide her grin.

Regina moved her gaze to the blonde's chin.

"Regina…"

"Yes?"

"My eyes; look at my eyes."

Finally Regina Mills' eyes were captured by the green of Emma Swan's.

"Regina? Have you been magically fixing my cake to look as good as yours?"

Regina stared and with determination, she narrowed her eyes, "No."

"Liar!" Emma pointed.

"I'm not lying! Emma Swan I did not use magic to make your cake look as good as mine."

Emma's internal lie detector didn't go off, which was confusing because she knew that she was not a good cake decorator and R2D2 looked like the real R2D2—and it did not earlier. It had gotten better since they started the conversation!

Regina gave in when she saw the blonde's confused eyes, "I used magic to make your cake look _better_ than mine…" She bit her lip and looked at her with worried eyes.

Emma gave her a look before rounding the kitchen island to her girlfriend and hugged her tight, "You are so cute." She said as she kissed her cheek, "Trying to make me feel better about myself and my stupid idea of decorating our own cakes."

"Well…" Regina hugged back and looked at the two cakes, "Which one do you want to eat first?"

"Mine… I wanna finally eat my fruit by the feet and the last peach ring."

"The last peach ring?"

"I got hungry. Decorating worked up my appetite… Also, there's no more fruit by the foot. I ate all of them too."

"How did you do that without my knowing?"

"Hey, you have your magic tricks and I have mine… Mine is open them while turned around or while you're turned around." Emma waggled her brows and leaned in for another kiss.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #10**

Emma walked into the diner and over to a booth after looking around and deciding that Regina was in fact not there yet. She pulled her geometric coloring book and her fancy (super expensive) coloring pencils and a cow pencil sharpener from her pockets, took off her jacket and sat down.

She opened the book and started looking through the pages before deciding on a good one and folding the paper down.

Ruby walked over to her, "You're… coloring?"

Emma looked up after marking specific parts in the pattern with her dark red pencil and grabbed her red-orange one, "Yeah. I realized when me and Regina were decorating cakes that I really like coloring and then I couldn't remember the last time I colored… So, I bought some fancy colors—the ones I could never afford for my art classes in elementary, middle and high school and this awesome coloring book and I decided I was gonna color." She said resolutely before going back and marking the spots next to her red marks with the new color.

"Hmm… And will you be eating today?"

"Yeah, but I'm waiting on Regina—Hey! Could I have a cocoa?"

"Of course, Sheriff." Ruby smiled as she walked back behind the counter.

Regina walked into the diner to see Emma at a table with a coloring book. She sat down next to her and watched her mark the areas with different colors for a moment before leaning in and kissing the blonde's cheek, "Coloring?"

"Uh huh." Emma didn't do much in response to the kiss as she was concentrating on her marks.

"That's what is going to make this a date?" Regina grinned.

"Uh huh." Emma nodded as she changed the indigo for a purple.

Ruby walked back over with Emma's cocoa and caught the entire exchange "Awe, is this place finally an official date for you two?" She asked excitedly, "Here? At the diner? With me as a witness? It's a date?!"

Emma stopped marking and looked up to her friend, "Well, we decided we couldn't leave you out, Rubes. So… When I bought the colors and the book, I decided that this could be a date because it's new and different."

Ruby clapped happily and ignored the obvious amusement of both women, "You want your usual, Madam Mayor?"

"Please."

"And will the Sheriff be eating one of her 'not actually healthy, but Regina wants me to eat better' lunches or one of her other usuals?" She asked the brunette instead of Emma herself.

Regina answered for the blonde, "The first one—I'll let her have the chicken tenders; we had lots of junk earlier this week."

"Babe, when are you gonna give it up? I have lots of junk every week."

"I know, and the half order of chicken tender platter isn't exactly taking your junk away from you; it's moderating your junk intake."

Emma pursed her lips and relented, "Yeah gimme that." She mumbled to Ruby before going back to her marking.

Ruby smirked and walked off to put their orders in. Regina took off her jacket and looked at Emma's page once more. When she realized it wasn't a picture, but a pattern and a bunch of randomness, she attempted tilting the cover to see what it was. Emma gave her a pointed look as she stopped marking and turned the book over so the brunette could read it before turning it back over and continuing.

"A geometric coloring book?" Regina asked as she wrapped an arm around the back of the booth and sat closer to the blonde.

"Uh huh, they're just all designs, not pictures…" Emma finished marking the sections and picked back up her red pencil to begin coloring for real. It was now on like Donkey Kong with this coloring page. She was going to beast it.

"Why no pictures?" The brunette asked as she unconsciously began rubbing the blonde's back.

The blonde unconsciously moved into Regina's hand as she answered, "Well most of the picture ones are for children… And I'm a big girl. And I figured since I have this beautiful, hot, sexy woman for a girlfriend that she wouldn't appreciate it if I leapt into the adult coloring book realm and bought 'The X-rated Coloring Book volume 1,' 'The Big Coloring Book of Vaginas,' 'Naked Women: An Erotic Coloring Book' or 'Color My Boobs—exclamation point, colon—A Titillating Coloring Book for Adults.'" She looked up to Regina's surprised face and started trying to defend herself like she was being accused of something, "They're real! I didn't make them up!"

Regina turned back to the book the blonde did end up with, shaking her head, "Well… Your girlfriend is very proud you decided not to bring a book like that into a public place… With children—"

"I didn't buy them for the possibility of Henry finding them either." The blonde read into what Regina was trying to say. "And because I don't need other pictures of naked ladies… But I wouldn't mind naked pictures of my lady."

"Oh thank you." Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head at her girlfriend's last comment before she leaned against her and kissed her cheek.

"I'm just saying." Emma gave her a wink.

They kissed again before Regina looked back at the page, "Can I help."

"Uh huh." Emma smiled and gave her one of her yellow shades, "That's this color." She pointed to a mark she made earlier, "Only color there."

"My aren't we specific?"

"It'll look really cool when we're done." Emma said.

Regina smiled at her before leaning in once more to kiss her. They stayed most of the afternoon coloring the single page; the only interruptions they allowed were Ruby with their lunch and Emma's parents with their child. By the time they finished it was dinnertime and Mary Margaret invited them to stay for an awkward family dinner.

**AN: Thoughts and Feels?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: You caught me. I have no idea how a greenhouse works or if the plants listed could actually grow in one or in the same environment… I just looked up 'flower meanings' and went with my favs…**

**Date #11**

Regina and Emma strode hand in hand passed Granny's diner. They still received dark glares and angry or scared looks from people because Regina was who she was. It tended to piss Emma off, but that night, Emma was perfectly content.

Emma linked their fingers as she led them down her neighborhood street.

"Darling are you sure this is all you wanted to do for our date?" Regina asked.

"Yeah! I've never gotten to walk around and just hold hands with the person I love, and nighttime is even better because in our town of nothing we can look up in the town square and still see millions of stars…" Emma waited for Regina to look up before she went completely cheesy, "But I like watching them reflect from your eyes most…" She smiled as she saw the blush creep up her girlfriend's cheeks. She chuckled and leaned in for a kiss on one of those red cheeks as they stopped at her gate. She feigned remembering something, "Oh! I completely forgot to show you this. Come on." She pulled her through the gate of Henry's and her front yard and up the porch, "Come on!" She said excitedly as she dragged the brunette around the porch and into the backyard, "Come on! Come on!"

"I'm right here… What are we looking at?" Regina asked after she was put in the middle of the backyard. "Emma?" She turned to find the blonde nowhere in sight, "Emma?"

"Stay there." She heard a grunt from behind a pillar that held up the back porch, "Stupid piece of… Come on, damn it!" Emma poked her head from behind the pillar and saw Regina begin making her way over to her, "No! You! Girlfriend! Back where I put you! I'm being romantic as hell! You just don't know it." She grunted once more.

Regina held the chuckle in as best she could, but when her girlfriend was flustered like she was, it was hard not to laugh. Suddenly, she heard a cry of pride from the blonde and twinkly lights flickered on all throughout the backyard, illuminating it in a soft glow of bulb lights. She gasped as she looked around, "Oh Emma…"

Emma grinned as she walked over to her, "I couldn't get the damn thing in the outlet and keep the iHome there as well… So, no romantic music, but lots of twinkly lights." She hugged the brunette close and began swaying with her.

"Well…" Regina spoke softly into Emma's shoulder, "I do enjoy twinkly lights." She held the blonde a little tighter as they danced slowly to their own music.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #12**

Emma was blindfolded. She was being led somewhere, but she couldn't figure out where that place was exactly.

"Come on, don't be scared." Regina whispered in Emma's ear as she walked her into her greenhouse.

"I'm not scared!" Emma turned to where the voice came from and placed her hands on her hips defiantly. Regina smirked as she moved to the other side of the blonde quietly. The timer to the watering system went off and Emma jumped reaching out for the woman, "REGINA!" She cried when she felt nothing as she grabbed where her girlfriend's voice had been.

Regina held her by the hips from behind and wrapped her arms around her waist, "It's alright, my love." She whispered, "It's just water."

"Right. I knew that." Emma raised her head all the way up and tried to peek from under her blindfold.

"No peeking." Regina squeezed her in a tight hug.

"But I want to see…"

"In a moment, Emma." Regina walked them to the very center of the room. She looked around the area for what she had put in there earlier and smiled. She left the fake rose where it was and moved her hand to the knot behind Emma's head, "You ready?"

"Yes!" Emma said like it was a 'duh' question.

Regina took the blindfold from her and watched as Emma blinked then spun quickly around before she spun slowly around to look at everything, "Wow! Is this your greenhouse?!"

"Mhmm."

"But no one is allowed in the greenhouse."

"Except for you, my love."

Emma gave her a happy look, "I'm allowed in the greenhouse?"

"Well, it's my turn to be romantic as hell, as you so eloquently put it, so yes, you are allowed in the greenhouse."

"How is this romantic as hell?" Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then gave the brunette's forearm a squeeze, "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's pretty romantic and pretty cool, but I'm not thinking it's romantic as hell quite yet…"

Regina took the hand on her arm and laced their fingers together, "What if I told you that I got rid of all the plants I was growing the 28 years you weren't in my life and started over with seedlings when you started asking me out?"

Emma's face turned dumbstruck and she squeezed Regina's hand.

"And what if I told you that everything in here was planted for you and because of you? That everything in here reminded me of you in some way? Like the amaryllises," she pointed to the flowers, "They mean 'splendid beauty' or 'worth beyond beauty' and you my love, your worth is beyond your beauty." She pulled on Emma's hand and moved to the next plant.

"Birds of Paradise!" Emma looked at them, "I know those 'cause they're funny looking."

Regina smiled, "They symbolize joyfulness, magnificence and wonderful anticipation." She pushed the blonde along, "Calla lilies."

"Look like lady bits."

Regina paused a moment to give Emma a look, "Represent magnificence and beauty."

"Also known as your lady bits." Emma turned to her knowing she was embarrassing her. She wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and kissed, "I'm sorry. I won't be so crude. Though I will mention that you are growing this flower for me, so maybe I should say _my_ lady bits." She pecked Regina's blushing cheek, "I'm done being crude for real this time. I'm sorry. Continue." She grinned when Regina turned with her still hanging on her neck.

"Carnations. As a whole they mean pride and beauty. Red is love, pride and admiration; pink, the love of a woman…" Regina kissed Emma's cheek, "And purple is capriciousness."

Emma gave the brunette a playful glare then finally de-suctioned herself from the woman's neck and pointed, "What about those yellow ones?"

"Those are not carnations. They're similar, but not carnations. Yellow carnations are disdain, rejection or disappointment and you my love are none of those things so there are no yellow carnations."

Emma smiled and snuggled into another tight hug, "What are the yellow flowers."

"Chrysanthemums. Yellow actually means slighted love—"

"Hey! I love you and you love me!"

"Yes, but when we first met, I did not realize my attraction for you was not unrequited… and when I planted these, I was thinking about our first year."

"Oh… then that's okay… I guess." Emma turned a bit from the brunette.

"As a whole…" Regina reached for Emma's chin and turned her back around, "Fidelity, optimism, joy and long life. Red is love, white is truth and loyal love…"

Emma gave the woman a closed mouth smile and leaned into her. They pecked twice before giving in to a good, long kiss.

"Moving on…" Regina rubbed Emma's kiss between her lips, "Daffodils. New beginnings, eternal life and…" she paused for effect, "Chivalry."

Emma rolled her eyes but wrapped her arms around Regina's neck again.

Regina pointed to the next few while they stood hugging each other, "Gardenias: secret love." She gave the blonde a pointed look and a peck, "Gladiolus: strength of character, faithfulness, honor. Heathers: lavender is admiration, solitude, beauty and white is protection, and wishes will come true. Ranunculus: you are radiant with charm, you are attractive."

"I think you're speaking for yourself…" Emma grinned and brushed her lips against Regina's before allowing her to continue.

Regina moved them a couple more feet before pointing to the different flowers once more, "Hyacinth: playfulness and a sporty attitude." She leaned in and gave the blonde an Eskimo kiss before continuing, "Hydrangea: heartfelt emotions. Lilac: youthful innocence and confidence." She smiled, "Lily."

"I dare you to love me."

Regina smirked, "We're keeping it at that because I like that better than all the other meanings…"

"Hey, I got it from a movie that _we_ watched together."

"And that is why they are here." Regina nodded.

"I did dare you to love me."

"Did I disappoint?"

"Hell no." Emma said with a smile and leaned in for another peck.

Regina pulled her along to the other side of the greenhouse, "Protea. It stands for change and transformation, signifies daring and resourcefulness, and is symbolic of diversity and courage."

Emma smiled and turned her head bashfully, "Oh! Sunflowers."

"Signify pure thoughts and symbolize adoration, dedication or dedicated lover." Regina smiled when Emma snuggled closer.

The blonde turned her head after inhaling Regina's scent and basking in the fact that she was getting to snuggle and cuddle this much in the daytime, "Tulips. I've always liked them. They're so bright."

"Signify declaration of love and symbolize perfect love."

Emma grinned and nodded along with Regina's words, "I knew I liked tulips."

Regina kissed the crown of her girlfriend's hair as they rounded back to the center of the room, "And finally, we have—"

"Roses. I know those!"

"And they mean?"

"Love." Emma gave a single nod in support of her statement.

"Yes." Regina pointed to the fake rose and crooked her finger, telling it to float over to them, "OH! A rainbow rose!" Emma looked at it and how each of the petals were different colors randomly throughout the full bloom.

"I will love you until this rose dies." Regina said seriously.

Emma looked at it floating in the air then grabbed it and started touching the petals. She knew it was fake the entire time, but she wanted to know why it was so many colors, and for that matter why the stem was black. She was both grinning wide and giving her girlfriend a look of confusion.

"The stem is black because that was my heart before you." Sudden tears came to Regina's eyes, and when tears came to Regina's eyes, it was guaranteed that Emma's were watering as well, "Black is loss; I didn't want to put that in the bloom." She touched the light purple petal, "Lavender roses signify love at first sight, which you didn't know happened with me, but it did. I looked up angry that Henry found his mother and I almost went weak in the knees." She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled to Emma, "Green… is 'best wishes' for a prosperous new life. I never actually wanted you to go because you made me feel again, but that's also the reason I tried to get you to leave. But you defied me and planted roots and I found myself wishing that you'd believe the curse and find your parents and live happily."

The brunette licked her lips and looked down, "Blue means I can't have you but I can't stop thinking about you." She took a breath, "Pink convey admiration, joy and gratitude. Admiration for your ability to stick it out, joy for not dying or letting my mother rip your heart out, and gratitude for continually saving me." Her lip quivered as she reached up to wipe a tear from her eye, "Yellow is friendship. Though that was short-lived, it's still relevant." She smirked to the blonde, "Orange represent passion and energy; they can mean an intense desire and fascination… That is a little self-explanatory." She smiled as she moved to the red petals, "Red is the only rival of the orange; it is love and everything therein." She moved to the only few petals of the same color that touched at the center, "White is purity. This is you. This is who you are, and I really, honestly feel it's who you make me."

Emma pushed into the brunette and kissed her hard. The real white, orange and red roses were having a field day in the greenhouse. Emma stared into her chocolate orbs as she pulled from her, "You are pure. You're raw and mangled, but you are pure. I just try to live up to you." Emma swallowed hard and nodded when she saw the question in Regina's eyes, telling her just how honest she was.

"I love you." Regina spoke softly.

"I love you too." Emma thought she heard movement behind her and turned around to see the white, red and orange roses had grown tall and seemed to be brighter. "Woah!"

Regina turned and smiled, "That's you… plants grow without magic just fine, but they're prone to know why they've been planted and they tend to grow quickly when the reason is close."

Emma looked at her and smiled, "That is kinda cool." She hugged her. "I'm emotionally drained now… I just want to cuddle the rest of the day. That okay?"

Regina smiled, "That's perfect."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #13**

Emma spread the blanket under a nice shady spot at the park. The weather was changing, and it was a nice, picturesque spring afternoon. Emma was in a pair of brown, khaki and white plaid Bermuda shorts, beige Toms, a fitted brown v-neck and some aviators to shade her eyes from the sun. Regina was in black Bermuda shorts, black Sperry's, a red t shirt, as well as a pair of big black sunglasses.

Regina waited patiently for Emma to decide that the blanket was good—the woman was oddly OCD about her blankets and quilts—and after Emma pressed down on all the corners, making sure they were where they were supposed to be, Regina got the okay to sit down.

The blonde settled herself against the tree and spread her legs. Regina was just sitting down to face Emma when she stopped her, "Hey woman!"

Regina, squatting, about to roll from the heels of her feet to her ass, stopped and looked at the blonde, "Did you just call me 'woman'?"

"Yes."

"Did you just call me 'woman' in a tone that resembles, 'get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich'?" Regina's tone was warning, but she was going to hear Emma—or begin to hear Emma out before she did go ahead and sit down.

Emma smirked; she understood why Regina thought that might have been her tone, but that just wasn't it at all. "No… I said 'woman' in a tone that was supposed to startle you from sitting, so I could tell you to put that gorgeous ass of yours right here." She patted the area between her legs, "I made you a spot and everything."

Regina smirked before putting her knees forward and shuffling over to the blonde. She pointed between Emma's legs, "Right here, you say?"

Emma nodded and settled more against the tree. Regina smirked before grabbing the basket handle, moving it closer to them before turning around, sitting and leaning against her lover. Emma pulled one of her legs up and left the other extended; Regina on the other hand kept both of her legs extended and crossed at the ankles.

The brunette let her head loll back onto Emma's shoulder causing the blonde to reach that hand up, being stroking her hair and look at her. Regina only smiled before Emma picked up what she was waiting for and with a grin of her own, leaned in and brushed her lips against Regina's.

"This is nice." Regina said happily as she unconsciously snuggled closer to her ladylove.

"Yeah." Emma wrapped her arms around the brunette, "A girl could get used to this."

Regina nodded her agreement, "Food?"

"I wanna stay like this a little bit longer."

Regina stopped everything—even breathing a moment—and stared at her girlfriend, "You..what?"

Emma knit her brows questioningly, "I wanna stay like this a little longer…"

"You're rejecting food? Did I break you? Hurt you in someway? Was it someone else that hurt you or broke you? Are you depressed?"

Emma jut her jaw to the side as she chuckled at Regina's surprisingly, sarcastically joking display of concern, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Joke all you want, but I will get hungry and you will realize who you're in love with. Now cuddle me, woman!"

Regina smirked, "I could get used to being referred to as 'woman' if it's commands like that…"

"Then get used to it… Woman." Emma muttered into Regina's hair as she squeezed the brunette tighter.

**AN: Thoughts and Feels? I'm thinking of nicknaming this one 'the cheesy cuddle'…**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I stole a couple lines of the quick one-worded back and forth from an episode of Frasier… it was brilliant and I couldn't let it go! Episode 8X10 if you're interested.**

**Date #14**

I was thinking about a date tonight…

Emma read the text from her girlfriend and knit her brows. Okay…? She responded back. There was something about that ellipsis that made her wonder what the woman had possibly come up with.

Remember that conversation we had a week or so ago about how fun it would be if we weren't ourselves. If we weren't the evil queen and the savior or the mayor and the deputy and we were just normal people?

Now the woman had her attention. Emma started to text back but her mind was working faster than her thumbs, "Screw it." She said before clicking Regina's name and calling her.

"Hello my darling."

"What are you thinking?"

Emma could practically hear the brunette roll her eyes, "'Hey baby! How're you?' 'I'm alright, my love. I've missed you the last couple days; we haven't seen much of each other.' 'I know. I luh you.' 'I love you too, darling.' 'So… about that date…'"

Emma sighed bored by the end of Regina's not so subtle, 'this is what should have happened', "Yeah, yeah. What are you thinking?"

Regina laughed. She had to have been somewhere alone, "I was thinking that we might meet at the Rabbit Hole…"

"That's it?"

"As different people…"

Emma's ears and eyes perked. She leaned back in her chair, "I'm listening."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina was sitting at the bar of The Rabbit Hole in a pair of ass-hugging black slacks and a red sleeveless shirt that showed a lot of back. She knew how to lure her woman into her clutches. She smirked at the thought before picking up her appletini and taking a sip.

It wasn't long before she felt familiar fingers make their way down the back of her upper arm. Regina looked to the other woman and took in her sexy halter vest top and the large patch of skin splayed between the end of the vest and the top of her hip hugging skinnies. As her eyes traveled back to the blonde's, she saw her smirk.

Emma masked her features, "Hi."

"Hello." Regina looked her up and down again, "My God, you're a beautiful one, aren't you?"

"I don't know…"

"Modest. That's good. Eva." Regina smirked when she said her fake name.

"Allison."

"Unattached?"

"Yes."

"Looking?"

"Sure."

"For a woman?"

"Right."

"Employed?"

"Doctor. Immunologist."

"Mmm. Impressive."

"Thanks. You?"

"Same. Trauma Surgeon."

'Allison' paused with raised brows, "_Impressive_."

"Thanks." 'Eva' shrugged.

They stared at each other intensely for a long moment; both seeming to get closer.

Finally the blonde pulled away, "I have to go powder my nose."

The brunette was eager to follow, "Me too…"

Once they both got to the bathroom and found it empty, it did not take long for the door to lock and for them to powder their noses like they hadn't ever powdered their noses before.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #15**

Regina and Emma sat in the diner watching the summer rain take over the streets; it had set in the night before and stayed steady throughout the night causing plenty of muddy, slippery areas. Ruby set down their breakfasts and watched as the sun struggled behind the clouds.

"I think it's gonna stop as quickly as it came."

"And what doggy sense makes you so sure of that?" Emma turned with a grin, wanting to know how Ruby figured the rain was going to leave.

"Well, the weather man for one… And because the sun is trying to come out. It's going to be a good, hot, humid day…" Her eyes lit up, "And you know what that means?"

"What?" Regina turned from watching the sun trying to shine through the dark clouds.

"Mud Ultimate." She gave them a wicked, closed-mouth smile, "You want me to text you when it happens?"

"Oh Ruby…" Regina started, but Emma looked at her with a puppy face.

"Come on! It could be fun! It could be a date…" Emma tilted her head and smiled when she saw the inner struggle of her ladylove.

"Okay, I will call you this afternoon. Wear clothes you don't care about. We're gonna get dirty."

"I never would have guessed by the word 'mud' that we would get dirty." Regina deadpanned.

Emma looked to her brunette lovingly, "Babe… We're gonna have fun… and Henry is hanging with Nicholas all weekend, remember? They wanted to play some videogame or something, have a marathon…?" She leaned forward, "We're gonna have lots of fun!" She promised again.

Later that afternoon, Emma got a text from Ruby.

Park. Now!

She quickly gathered her things and called Regina.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma, Regina, Ruby, Belle, Mary Margaret, David, Leroy, Kathryn, Frederick, Sean, Ashley, and August all turned up to play.

Emma held onto Regina's hand as they picked teams, hoping they could be a pair, but everyone yelled at them to separate when they were the last two to be picked.

"But we don't wanna!" Emma whined.

"But all you'll do is talk… and everyone else has already been picked." Kathryn smirked as she watched the two of them look at each other then glumly separate.

Emma glared at August as she walked over to her father, "You guys did that on purpose."

August grinned, "Yes, yes we did."

The game got started and the mud was flying. The sky darkened and lightened a few times, and throughout all of the fun, Regina seemingly remained clean and composed. She would walk from end to end, knowing she would never see the Frisbee come her way.

Emma on the other hand was covered. Though that is what happens when you can catch and throw a Frisbee, and are super competitive with the athleticism (and maturity) of teenager. She was sliding in the mud, jumping as though she weren't white, and seemingly passing it to herself.

The blonde was taking a few moments to catch her breath when she saw her girlfriend yawning at the other end of the soccer field turned huge patch of mud. She tightened the bun in her hair as she bit her lip and narrowed her eyes on the brunette. Regina didn't know she was being watched yet. That was good. She subtly started making her muddy way towards the brunette.

She passed by Kathryn, who gave her a questioning glance, then saw who was on the other side of the field and smirked, turning her attention back to the game. Emma eased with the flow of the Frisbee as it moved towards Regina's end of the field, and finally, she was close enough to pounce.

She took her time, sizing her girlfriend up, and when the brunette finally looked her way, she knew it was then or never. The smirk she gave Regina made the woman's eyes widen.

"Don't you dare do it!" Regina had her hands up, as if trying to keep the blonde tame; everyone else paused their movements to see what Regina was yelling about.

Emma's smirk grew to a grin and she ran.

Regina froze to the spot and closed her eyes. She felt the initial impact of her lover and she felt her lover hold her close as they fell to the ground. She even felt the blonde turn them so she would take most of the impact from the ground, but she knew that a simple muddy hug would not be all she got. She heard all the laughing, but kept her eyes closed as she felt Emma roll them so her backside was completely covered in mud and her front side completely covered by Emma. Finally she opened her eyes to see bright, shining, hopeful, almost euphoric green orbs staring back at her.

"Now you look like you've been playing a bit." Emma whispered as she leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Regina nodded, "I suppose I do.." She said as she ran her fingers through the mud beneath her. She made sure to coat her hand in the thick, mushy mud before she gave her lover an evil grin and brought the hand up, slapping the mud all over the blonde's face whilst rolling them back over so she was on top.

She laughed a bit as she moved so she was sitting astride Emma's stomach, "And so do you."

Ruby and Kathryn were the loudest of the laughter that was happening behind them.

"Way to get her, Regina!" Kathryn clapped for her friend as Emma scooped mud from her eyes so she could see.

"Thank you." She looked to the other blonde and smiled.

This gave her blonde a sneaky opportunity. Emma quickly sat up, causing Regina to fall. Emma didn't let her, she held her tight actually, but her next move was just as wicked as Regina's had been. She pressed her cheek against Regina's and began rubbing her muddied face all over the brunette's face and neck.

"Payback's a bitch." Emma smirked as everyone reacted in different gasps and chuckles to the entire exchange.

Regina's jaw was slack as she felt mud dripping from her face. She recovered though and gave the blonde a look, "You keep that in mind, my love." She said with threatening eyes.

Emma's face fell slightly, "What does that mean?" She let her girlfriend push from her and stand up.

"I think you know." Regina put her hand out and helped Emma up.

"But you promised we could go back to the mansion and…" She leaned in knowing her parents and everyone were eaves dropping, "Clean up." She whispered.

Regina stared at her a moment and shrugged before looking to everyone else, "Shall we continue."

Emma pouted the rest of the game and sadly said goodbye to everyone. She then followed Regina like a sad puppy back to the mansion.

Regina walked them a round to the backyard and turned on the garden hose. She gave it to Emma and turned around. "Try and get most of the mud off, please." She asked gesturing to herself.

Emma gave a short huff of a sigh and did as she was asked. Regina took it from her and washed off Emma's front before signaling the blonde to turn to get her back. Emma felt the water cease and turned around once more. She looked at the hose as it was given back to her then saw that her girlfriend was walking back up her back porch. She watched Regina take off her tennis shoes and socks, then the shorts and tank she loaned her. And to Emma's surprise she watched as the woman took off her bra and panties. But the naked sight did not last long due to a towel that magically wrapped around her. Emma sighed once more as she scrubbed the mud off her front.

"Darling there's a towel on the bench when you are through. I'll be in the shower." Regina gathered her intimates and opened the back door, "If you hurry, I might be inclined for some company…" Once she caught green eyes with her brown ones she winked and moved inside.

Emma grinned wide and finished getting all of it off as best she could before quickly doing the same thing Regina did then running after her lover to the bathroom.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

**Date #16**

Emma was looking for something different for her and Regina. She wanted to go out on another date-date, but she had nothing in mind. So she took to the Internet and on some 'fun date' Google search, she found six little words. These words made her laugh then ponder the whole idea over and finally decided that that was going to be their next date. The words were so clever to her, she decided to text them to Regina.

Socially irresponsible date… One word: Graffiti.

What? Came the immediate respone.

Come on! It'll be fun!

I really don't think it will…

You didn't think a lot of our dates would be fun, but they have been… Please?

You're doing the face aren't you?

Yes.

…Fine.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma stealthily entered the mansion all in black. Regina thought she heard something and looked up from her book only to find her girlfriend sneaking into the room dressed all in black and with a black messenger bag around her side. Regina knit her brows and watched her girlfriend, giving her a stare that told her she saw her.

Emma jumped from the darkened hallway and somersaulted into the room—the contents of the messenger bag going everywhere, "I scared you!" She said happily.

"Hardly." Regina smirked and set her book aside while Emma gathered her cans of spray-paint and face masks—she wanted to be risky, but she also wanted to breathe—from the floor before crawling to Regina and snuggling herself to the her front, making her spread her legs a little to the let the blonde in, "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Why aren't you?"

"Because… You're the sheriff… Who's going to stop us?"

Emma pouted, "Regina! It's all part of the fun! We have to go under the cloak of darkness when all are asleep to strike!"

Regina smirked, "You…" She shook her head when she saw the pleading eyes for her to change. "Fine." She snapped her fingers, changing from her white button up and slacks to all black. She looked to the blonde, "Only because you're adorable."

"Am not."

"Yes."

"Only 'cause you love me."

"Yes." Regina nodded and kissed the blonde, "Shall we go?"

"Yeah!"

~0~0~0~0~0~

"You pick the Sheriff's Station? Really, my love, out of every place that is around, you pick here? Why?"

"Because it's neither of our houses, and if we did City Hall or the diner, we'd have to clean it off… I don't really care about what the exterior of the back of the station looks like. No one sees it except for me, and maybe a few runners in the morning…" she shrugged.

Regina only smiled at her and nodded, "Alright. Let's do this." She started shaking the can of paint Emma gave her while Emma took to putting a mask on herself then Regina, "You put yours on first?"

"Of course! That's what every airplane tells you to do… Put your mask on first before assisting others."

Regina gave her a look.

"But how would you know?" Emma said after realization, "Either way it doesn't matter, babe. We're masked and ready!" Emma said excitedly before shaking her own can and popping the lid off. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

They moved to the wall and drew the biggest heart they could standing where they were, then in the middle they put 'S+Q'. They took other colors and highlighted certain parts, but the whole thing took them maybe 20 minutes. Emma took a picture with her phone and took off her mask then looked to Regina, "I like it."

Regina hugged her tight and nodded, "You think anyone that sees it will ever know?"

Emma smirked and shook her head, "No… the 'Q' will always and forever throw people off. 'S' practically attacks me though… That might be incriminating…"

"How does 'S' attack you?"

"Sheriff, Swan, Savior… I'm all about the 'S'…" She said the letter to sound like 'ass' instead of 'S' and smirked.

Regina gave her a look, "Yes, I know you are, my love." She was not surprised when she felt Emma's hand trail down her back to her 'S'. She looked back to the paint, "This really was fun…Even if there was no way we could get caught or in trouble now, it's always gonna be there…" She looked to the blonde.

"Yes it is." Emma nodded and smiled. "Let's go back to your place while we're still under the cloak of darkness."

"And where is our son?"

"He's with his grandparents…"

"He's at home by himself alone. What happens when he wakes up scared and you're not there?"

"He calls the cops, which is me…?" Emma laughed at the brunette's reaction. "Relax, Regina. I told him I was going out after I put him to bed. I told him I had some stuff to take care of at the station…" She laughed at herself.

"Oh, you are so smart. Lying to your son—"

"Not lying, I am at the station taking care of things."

"You're a horrible human being. How are you the savior?"

Emma shrugged, "Just lucky I guess. How are you the evil queen?"

Regina took Emma's face in her hands, "Just lucky I guess." She kissed her.

**AN: Thoughts and Feels?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Date #17**

Regina walked into the Sheriff's Station to find the good sheriff nowhere in sight; she wasn't in her office and she wasn't throwing darts—good news for everyone. She knit her brows and looked back in the hallway to find nothing then moved to the back in both the interrogation room and the observation room to again find nothing. As she was walking back to the front, she heard boots scuff against the ground in the hallways outside and soon saw the blonde throw the door open and enter.

"Emma—"

"Fuck shit!" Emma jumped throwing her lunch everywhere. "Damn it woman!" She looked down at her lunch and back to the brunette, "You trying to kill me after all?"

Regina's face pained slightly and Emma was quick to see it and walked over to her, hugging her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You just scared the shit out of me…" She looked down, "Oh!" She pouted as she walked over to her broken to-go box and started scooping up her fries, "And made me lose my lunch… literally."

Regina waved her hands behind the blonde and Emma jumped back and watched the food scoop itself up and put itself in the to-go box and to-go mug. She held her hand up so it floated in air.

Emma whipped her head around, "Is it edible? Like it wasn't just picked off this floor that I haven't mopped since I've been here—and I'm the janitor so I know nothing's happened to it since I've been here kind of not just picked up?"

Regina nodded with a smile and Emma grabbed the food from the air and brought it to her office with a wide grin. She set it down and waited for the heels to click behind her to the office. She turned to the brunette with a smirk and waved her hand like she was telling someone behind the brunette to come over. Regina turned when she heard the door shut.

"Look at you, princess…"

"That is one of the only tricks I'll ever learn." Emma said with finality.

"It's still something." Regina strutted over to the blonde and took one of her perfect curls in her fingers. "So, I was thinking…"

"What were you thinking about?"

"That I might take you on a proper date tonight. Like our first date, but this time I escort you…?"

Emma gave the woman a closed mouth smile and her eyes shined, "You wanna take me on a proper date?" She smirked.

Regina nodded, "I won't make you dress up. I'll dress down for you, alright? Like you dressed up to make me feel comfortable?"

Emma nodded and batted the hand playing with her hair away so she could hug her tight. "I think I might just like that."

"You think you just might?"

"Yeah."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma perused the menu of the seafood joint Regina brought her to. Her finger landed on an ad for what she had been praying for since she realized they were going to a seafood restaurant.

"Endless shrimp." She smiled, eyes dancing with delight.

"Hmm?" Regina looked up from her menu.

"Endless shrimp!" She said excitedly.

Regina smirked at how happy those two words made her lover. Before she could comment, the waiter came over to take their drinks.

"And do you have any questions?" He asked after he jotted their drink order down and went through the specials.

"Yeah, if I say… eat an entire entre of every shrimp platter available on the endless shrimp… can I take one of each entre home too?"

"There's eight different kinds of shrimp for the endless shrimp…"

"Yes." Emma nodded in complete understanding.

"And each one is a half a platter… more if the chef can fit it on…"

"Yes."

"And you want to take everything home if you eat everything?"

"Yes."

"Instead of just getting two or three entrees to go?"

"Yes." Emma smirked.

The waiter smiled back, "I will… ask the chef."

Regina turned to Emma from watching the waiter leave, "Darling…"

"What?"

"Your stomach is going to hurt."

"It will be so worth it." Emma grinned, then as an afterthought, "Oh, I also have this super hot girlfriend with magical powers… I bet she could help out with that… or give me something for it…?"

"An antacid." Regina deadpanned.

Emma smirked, "I'm still going to do it."

"I don't doubt that."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma licked her lips as she gazed over her first round of her shrimp platter much like a five-year-old would lick their lips at an ice cream sundae with blue ice cream.

"Why have we never come here?"

"I don't know… too much like that restaurant chain, I suppose?"

"Red Lobster? Honey, we don't discriminate when it comes to Emma and endless shrimp. We don't care where it comes from, or if it is even a restaurant chain." Emma shrugged, "Besides, if it is a chain, that usually means business is good and it's good because the food's good, right?"

"Let's hope so…"

Emma took a bite of her food, moaned and fell back in her seat, "I LOVE this place, Babe…"

Regina smiled, "I'll keep that in mind." She said as she cracked a crab leg.

"Seriously… Like after we have kids, every year on 'Mommy's' birthday we're coming here."

Regina blushed and nodded subtly as she looked down. Emma smirked at her girlfriend's reaction to her statement of future children.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma felt like she had accomplished something after eating a full helping of very type of shrimp they had available. She licked her lips, but this time it was more like a satisfied cartoon cat that got all the milk it wanted. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and rubbed her stomach.

"I win." The blonde said proudly.

"And at what cost, darling… you're going to have to eat that shrimp in the next few days…"

"Yeah!" Emma grinned, "Lunch and dinner for the next four days!"

The waiter came over with the check; he volleyed between the two in askance before Regina raised her hand to take it.

"I will be right back with your to-go boxes." He stared at the blonde a moment, making sure she wasn't going to fall over.

Once he got back with eight made-special-for-Sheriff-Swan-to-go boxes, Regina gave him the check then waved her hand over the boxes, making them disappear.

"Hey! Where did they go?" Emma asked like her child was just taken from her.

"You're refrigerator."

"We don't have room! We just went grocery shopping today…"

"Your work refrigerator." Regina clarified, "That is where you will be eating these meals, yes? Work? Your job?"

Emma smiled, "Yes, Madam Mayor. I will diligently work through my lunch and dinner hours. You know, I don't mind paying for my ginormous half…"

"No…" Regina sing-songed as she smiled at her girlfriend as their waiter came back with her card. She signed the check, tipped the waiter a fair amount and stood, holding her hand for Emma.

Emma though, stared at it like it was about to be her enemy, "I don't wanna move yet."

The brunette smirked, knowing, "Darling, take my hand. You'll feel better, I promise."

Emma caught the look in her eye and immediately grabbed onto the woman's hand. "I love you." Emma smiled as her stomach immediately began feeling better.

~0~0~0~0~0~

They were walking along the pier, about to move onto a dock when Regina stopped and looked up at the stars. She closed her eyes and let everything sink in. Their past seventeen dates. That Emma was real; that Emma wanted her as much as she wanted Emma. That she found love once again.

Emma tugged on her hand, but stopped when she turned around and saw the serene look on Regina's face. She moved back the couple feet, giving their linked hands slack before deciding Regina was too perfect and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

When Regina pushed into the blonde a bit more and maneuvered so that she was in the blonde's hug, Emma laughed, "I love you too, babe."

"I do love you." Regina looked into Emma's eyes and nodded.

"I know." Emma sucked in a suddenly ragged breath, changing the subject, "I wasn't kidding earlier…"

"I know." Regina started with a hint of humor in her eyes, "I didn't doubt that you were going to eat every possible shrimp you could get your hands on…"

"No, I meant when I talked about us having kids…" Emma tilted her head, "I think about things like that. I like to think about things like that. I've never let myself think about things like that, but I feel like I can with you…"

Regina smiled a teary-eyed smile and leaned in, kissing her cheek to her ear, "I love you, Emma Swan."

Emma nodded, "I know. I love you too, Regina Mills…." She paused a moment as she pulled from the brunette but kept her hand and walked with her out to the edge of the dock, "Do you think about things like that?"

"I do."

Emma sat down, "I figure, we'll have a couple girls and at least another boy… if magical babies can be boys…"

"They can… You know about magical babies?"

"I've looked into a few things while bored at work…" Emma nodded, "But see there's this dilemma with all of that kid stuff…"

"Oh yeah? What is that?"

"Well, there's this whole marriage thing… People like it when you're married with kids… And every kid should have two parents that love each other and love them… I mean don't get me wrong, one parent is good great even, but two that love each other… I mean… No kid should grow up like you or me…"

"You have a point." Regina nodded. "So, how do we solve that issue, dear?"

"Easy. We get married."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Emma nodded, "But see… we can't get married just like that, yet."

"And why is that?"

"Because we don't even live together… I mean, in this day in age, we gotta live together if we're gonna get married. People who don't live together a while before they get married are just stupid. Living together is when I think a person really realizes how much they love their mate. If they put up with all their crap and still love them… then that's real love, bitches." Emma grinned when she heard the brunette's laugher.

"Are you saying that we have to move in together first?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Regina said nothing. She looked down at the moon shining on the water.

Emma had the guts to suggest the classic U-haul, "You think we're there yet?"

"Darling we've been on 17 dates…."

The blonde didn't let the attempt at rejection sway her, "17 real dates. We've had this connection for over a year, we've had chemistry since we met, we've had countless not real date-dates, and the thing that I've done with you that I'd never done before in my life, is we've made love. Real, honest to God love… I love you and you love me. And I think we're ready. But we don't do anything until you think we're ready."

"It's just that we have a third party to consider, darling. It's not just you or me. We have Henry. And he's been alluding to me lately that he's not my biggest fan. I just, I don't want to start something that will set something off, alright?"

Emma sighed and nodded as she stood up, "Let's go home… I'm cold and I know you are too. And Henry's been alone tonight; I know you're worried even if you just told me that you don't think he likes you anymore…" She stuck her hand out and Regina took it.

~0~0~0~0~0~

They were walking hand in hand; Regina moved to open the front gate for Emma. She walked her up the sidewalk. They stopped at the front door and Emma gave the brunette a look, "I had a good time tonight, Regina."

"Yes, I did as well." Regina nodded as she shared the look Emma gave her and traced the hand on the token red leather jacket of her lover.

Emma took the hand tracing her jacket, "Thanks for paying; I mean, we could have gone halfsies—"

"Nonsense." Regina stopped her from going on about her shrimp and how she should have gone halfsies for her 'ginormous' meal, "I asked you out for tonight, so I paid. You can get it next time. That's the deal"

Emma got in Regina's face playfully, "Alright, I will!" her hand reached up and her finger's trace the brunette's face before wrapping delicately around the back of her neck and pulling her in for one of those kisses that just makes your entire body melt.

"So, I'll see you in the morning? For that budget meeting?" Emma's comment came after a few moments of recovery.

"Oh, yes. The budget meeting. I have to be there." Regina smiled. There was something in that smile that was fake.

Emma took Regina's face in both of hers, "Hey." She tilted her head, "I can tell when people are lying. Even through a smile." Her voice was soft.

"I'm not just a person. I'm a witch." There was a tone in her voice that told her she knew she was getting technical to avoid the next serious topic of conversation.

"Regina." Emma kept her hold on the woman's face after the woman tried to move away, "That smile was the closest thing I've seen to real from you since I got here. But you're eyes were lying. You're scared. What are you scared of?"

"You."

"Me? Why are you scared of me?" Emma dropped her arms and put her hands on her hips.

"Because I feel myself falling," Her next word came out with no sound, "deeper," and through a hiccup, she finished her statement, "in love. And when that happens, something detrimental happens and I lose everything. It's happened every time." She pushed from Emma completely.

"Hey," The blonde was pulling her back in, one hand on her hip and the other on her cheek, "Hey, Regina? Listen to me…" When the brunette stopped moving, the blonde continued, "You're never going to lose me." She looked at the brunette, "I'm never going to leave you. What did we talk about tonight, huh? Family? Babies? You know I don't mess around with that stuff, but I want to with you. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I fall deeper in love with you everyday. Nothing detrimental is going to happen to us. Okay? Fairytales are about love prevailing over everything, right? Well, guess what Baby, this is cursed fairytale land. Our love's gonna prevail…" Emma opened her front door, "Come inside a while, let's talk some more, okay?"

"I—"

"Babe, this is _me_ offering to talk to you. Willingly. Openly. Without shame."

Regina nodded and followed the blonde inside. They went straight for the living room and plopped on the couch together. It was after about two minutes of cuddling that they saw a shadow from the kitchen and heard a soft thumping up the stairs.

They stayed quiet and held onto each other for a long while, "If Henry wasn't in our lives and I still came here and stayed here and fell in love with you… Would you move in with me?"

Regina looked around, "I do like this place. It is home-y, but if we were planning on having our two boys and two girls then we'd need the mansion…"

Emma looked at her, "So you would let me move in with you?"

Regina smiled and cuddled further into the blonde, "Of course, my love."

"Then… we'll make more steps before we make the move…"

"What kind of steps?"

"Well, we include our son on our dates. We take him places get to know him as parents and not his mom Emma and his mom Regina… Let him get used to us. We become a family…"

Regina smiled as she leaned in and kissed her, "A family. I like the sound of that."

"Me too." She smiled, "So, I'll talk to him soon about having dinner with you here?... As a family?"

"Well, I guess if we really want to be a family, we need to start somewhere…"

**AN: Thoughts and Feels?**


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